Evermore
by kitsuneshadow47
Summary: Young Merlin, the eldest of a poor family, begins to see life differently after meeting Arthur, a prince who's moved into his neighborhood for the summer and happy with the material luxuries his parents give him. The story of a new, undying friendship.
1. Chapter 1: You at First Sight

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 1: You at First Sight**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/shounen-ai ~wO

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

The first chapter of yet another multi-chapter fic in progress. ^^"; Right now I don't really have anything much to say, other than how much I'll hope that you'll all enjoy reading this. XD

Regards,

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.

~o~

That day had been sunny the way Merlin had remembered it, when they had been welcomed inside the grandiose mansion that stood across the street from their home.

He frowned shyly, peering down at his two feet for a moment as they were taken through different rooms of the manor.

The home had belonged to the King of Wales, who had purchased the household not more than a few days ago.

As far as the young raven had known at that point from his mother, he had brought his family with him for the summer to spend quality time away from England and the paparazzi for once to be in a more…_calm _and tranquil setting.

Recently Merlin's mother had been hired by the King himself to work as a maid in the royal household. At the moment, one of his servants had been showing her around the home, introducing the kitchen and the laundry room as they walked through the vast and grand halls with Merlin playfully tagging along behind them.

But not long after a while, the raven had abruptly stopped in his tracks for a second as soon as he'd begun to hear laughter coming from outside. Almost immediately upon hearing this familiar sound, he'd wandered off on his own to peer through the nearest window to see a group of boys playing catch outside in the backyard with big smiles on their faces.

"_Over here!" _a dark-haired brunette had called distantly, darting over to one side.

Merlin closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he absent-mindedly watched all the other children playing his favourite game, contemplating to himself as he instinctively reached for the smooth glass in front of him.

How very much this had reminded him of his own friends and how they'd play together like this. After all, it felt so long since he'd last seen Will or any of his other companions, who'd gone to summer camp a month ago, leaving the young raven behind. Ever since the day they'd left, it had been very lonely for Merlin to spend time outside on his own.

He frowned, slowly shaking his head. At that moment, he'd really felt like playing a round of kickball just about now…

But that was when he'd heard a ball being kicked and more cries coming from outside.

"_Arthur!" _another boy had called that instant.

At that moment, Merlin looked up to see a tall boy with dark blonde hair and a fair complexion running across the field to catch a red dodgeball.

For a minute, the young one froze as the latter stopped a few feet in front of the window with his back turned and watched as he lowered his head to catch his breath before looking up to stare at the other children on the field. At the same time, the raven couldn't help but fix his eyes on him as his shoulders heaved up and down.

"_Give it here!" _another one of them had shouted, waving at the blonde that instant.

Merlin swallowed, then stared blankly as the boy named Arthur swiftly threw the ball to his playmate, dashing quickly to the right.

Though he couldn't have helped but notice instantaneously…how the latter had briskly glanced over his shoulder in his direction, which had made the raven's jaw drop.

His eyes had been smoldering pools of magnificent sapphire, scintillating under the bright sunshine as he just barely met the other's gaze.

And for a moment, all thought had left the young one's eyes, leaving him speechless.

But then he turned away and continued to sprint back towards the other side of the field.

At the same time, it seemed almost a coincidence when Hunith had returned with the servant to make sure he was all right after disappearing without notice from either of them.

She had found her son wide-eyed and awed as he gazed through the glass before shifting her eyes from him to the boys that were playing outside in the tall grass.

"Is everything all right, Merlin?" Hunith had carefully asked, comfortingly placing her hand on his shoulder.

The raven flinched slightly, turning his head to face his mother with a timid expression on his face. "Yes, Mum," he replied nonchalantly.

At that moment, the servant had walked up next to her to look down at him kindly. "Is he hungry?" the man had asked. "We have plenty of snacks in the kitchen."

"Do you want to go outside and play with them?" Hunith asked with a tentative smile on her face. "It looks like they're having a lot of fun out there."

In that instant, an image of Arthur staring at him flooded his mind, and Merlin shrank back at the idea, curtly shaking his head. "Er…no—that's quite all right. I'm fine," he spoke sheepishly, looking straight into his mother's eyes. Then he shifted his gaze over to the servant standing next to her. "And a snack would be very nice, thank you," he added, nodding once out of respect.

The kind man chuckled softly, glancing at Hunith to grin amusedly at her before turning to walk into the kitchen. "Such a polite young lad you have, Mrs. Emrys. I'll have a good sandwich and a cup of fruit made for him momentarily."

She chuckled back and smiled at the servant. "Thank you very much," she replied humbly.

After that, he nodded in agreement and left.

~o~

By the time Hunith shifted her gaze over to look at her son, she had still found him staring out the window with his palms pressed up against the glass, an intent and curious expression on his face.

At that moment, her eyes had softened, and she knelt down next to Merlin, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Are you sure you don't want to join them? They're playing your favourite game…"

Immediately, the nine-year-old vigorously shook his head. "No—that's okay. Will's gonna be back before I know it," he replied, his cheeks slightly flushing.

In that instant, Hunith closed her eyes and sighed. "All right then, honey." She paused for a minute, then got up to her feet and glanced back to look at the antique wall clock behind her.

After that, she shifted her gaze towards Merlin and spoke again. "We'll be leaving in a few minutes, okay? I just need to get my schedule from Miss Margaret. Let me know if you need anything, all right?"

Merlin turned to stare timidly at his mother and nodded earnestly. "Yes, Mummy," he replied obediently.

Hunith smiled back and gave him a small kiss on the forehead before turning to leave.

~o~

As soon as she was gone, Merlin closed his eyes and exhaled sharply. Then he raised his head and began to approach the window, staring longingly out at the vivid sky.

Dear God…he'd been _itching_ to go outside for fresh air, and he knew that, as ironic as it was. It was just he was only barely restraining himself from doing so that he wasn't already enjoying himself with that bouncy red dodgeball in his hands.

Had it not been for the blonde that had looked at him earlier…

The minute he'd slightly lowered his gaze down towards the tall grass again, he was more than startled to see a pair of great round eyes even bluer than the heavens above staring intently into his very own.

At that moment, Merlin flinched and fidgeted to compose himself again by the windowsill, his pale cheeks now as red as a tomato. Then he took a deep breath and peered through the glass again to see none other than Arthur himself looking at him with an amused expression on his face.

In that instant, Merlin's cheeks flushed even redder, and he had begun to pout at the latter, somewhat embarrassed.

And before he knew it, the blonde was laughing at him, his golden hair glistening under the bright midday sun.

Almost immediately, the raven had paused, staring curiously at the boy before him. For a second, he had begun to feel a particular warmth deep down where his heart was and pursed his lips, glancing down at his feet.

Never in his life had he ever felt anything like this before, more or less in the presence of a boy like him. Neither did he have a clue to why all this was happening so suddenly.

_But it feels…_nice,Merlin thought to himself, as he eagerly raised his head again to meet the other's gaze.

Arthur was smiling now, waving to him from outside on the field.

At first, the nine-year-old's face almost lit up with joy, in the hopes that he was possibly inviting him to play with them.

But then another blonde ran over and suddenly swiped the ball from Arthur's hands, giving him an impish smirk.

In just seconds, a competitive look grew on the latter's face. He was already running after him and didn't look at Merlin again.

At that moment, the raven's heart somewhat sank, and he turned to walk away with a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

And so we look to see their paths had crossed for the first time in their lives…though this would not have been the only chance they'd have to look into each other's eyes once more.

To think, it would only be the mere beginning of a fate far greater.

~o~

One could say here in this situation that it definitely had been some coincidence that the royal family's summer abode was so close to the small and humble house that Merlin and his impoverished family called home.

In the days that passed, the young raven had no longer gone along with his mother during the times that she'd leave for work at the Pendragon household, for he'd been given the responsibility of taking care of his younger brothers and sisters considering the fact that there had been no one else available to look after them.

Ever since their father had left them when Merlin was only about four years old, Hunith had always been the one tending to their needs at home. But the years had gone by, and times had changed when it had come to a point where she had needed to find a sensible job in order to support the large family of children she'd been left with.

So Merlin, well…one might say that he was already used to being treated with big responsibilities as he was, indeed, the oldest of his siblings. Every day while his mother would be away, he would be put in charge of taking out the trash and making sure his brothers and sisters were fed occasionally.

Often he'd even go outside for brief minutes to scrummage for food in the trash cans that stood out in the streets, considering how poverty-stricken his family was as well. But most of the time, when the young raven would set foot out onto the vacant sidewalks, nowadays...he'd notice something—or rather _someone—_quite peculiar about the mansion that stood so majestically across on the other side of the street.

Every single day, whether he'd be closing trash cans or playing with his younger siblings, Merlin would almost _always _glance back to see that same pair of sapphire blue eyes staring at him from the front window of the manor, never glancing away for even a second. And of course in due time he'd recognised the familiar blonde's condescending gaze half hidden behind the curtains—the complexion whom his mother had told him later on belonged to the one and only Prince Arthur Pendragon of Wales.

It had been like this for quite more than a while now, and during that same time, Merlin had begun to think peculiarly about the boy that lived across the street from him. But all this was really less than necessary to him in reality, for he'd have other things to do, especially for his family, so he had often put his thoughts to the side and ignored them until new ones would pop up in his mind the next day.

Arthur was the Prince of Wales. There was absolutely no way that someone like him would ever have anything to do with him in his life.

~o~

Of course, there had been a day when things had changed quite dramatically and rather quickly for Merlin to grasp.

It was an occasional afternoon, when he'd left his siblings home to go to the local market in town to run an errand for his mother by picking up the food surplus that Mr. Adams had generously scavenged for them at his stand.

~o~

_It's all right, _Merlin thought to himself as he closed the door and locked it. _Molly should be able to handle things from here…_

He closed his eyes and sighed as he turned to step down on the sidewalk.

Molly had been the second eldest of the family, as she was a bit less than two years younger than Merlin. But despite the fact that she was merely seven years old, she was quite smart for her age and already responsible enough to know the rules of the house. She was pretty much the closest and most trustworthy to him, for all he knew. Besides, he would only be gone for a few minutes.

At that moment, the young raven reached into his satchel to check if he had everything, then turned to make his way down the sidewalk.

It was quiet this time of day, now that everyone had finished doing their laundry. But even so, Merlin couldn't help but glance over at the grand mansion that stood on the other side of the road—at the window where he'd usually expect to see Arthur staring at him from behind the glass.

He paused, then exhaled sharply as he focused his gaze on the manor's front window.

Nothing.

In that instant, Merlin turned away and slowly shook his head in disbelief as he walked down the path with an amused expression on his face.

_Huh. Now that's definitely odd. Maybe he's finally gotten sick of looking at me live my boring life day after day. Goodbye, stalker, _he thought to himself, though somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wonder a little where the young prince could probably be at that moment.

~o~

It hadn't been long before Merlin had reached the market and picked up a basket of food from the merchant his mother had befriended for so long. He nodded once as he waved goodbye to Mr. Adams, then turned to make his way back home.

The market had been rather crowded today, despite the fact that it was only Wednesday. Everywhere the young raven had looked, numerous mobs of people were clumped by the local fruit and vegetable stands around him, waiting impatiently to get the cashier's attention so that they could pay for their groceries and move on to the next stand.

There had also been a close call when a woman had rushed past Merlin, nearly knocking him over with the enormous food basket in his hands.

"Sorry!" the lady had cried briskly over her shoulder before running off to chase after her little boy, who had wandered off not more than a minute ago.

The raven fumbled to regain his balance, then let out a relieved sigh as he continued down the congested path.

For a moment, it was like the basket had grown even heavier at that point.

_If only Will were here to help me out like usual… _Merlin thought sadly to himself. _Otherwise this wouldn't be so hard to carry around._

He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply as he turned to walk down another path that had been more vacant unlike the previous one.

In that instant, Merlin opened his eyes and started to smile.

_Phew…finally—some peace and quiet now._

He laughed softly to himself, fixing his grip on the basket at the same time.

…but that wasn't until he'd begun to hear rapid footsteps from behind, as if they were rushing over in his direction.

Immediately, Merlin froze in his tracks and turned to glance at the person whom he was just about to encounter…

_Thud._

Or rather now… the one whom he had been more than close to bumping into.

~o~

Before the young raven knew it, he had already found himself sitting on the ground, clutching the back of his head with a pained countenance, the bread and produce in the basket scattered all over the place.

But at that moment, that really hadn't been Merlin's only concern.

"_Ow_," a voice in front of him had hissed. "Do watch where you're going, will you?"

In that instant, Merlin groaned, raising his head up to look at the latter. "Sorry—I was just—"

Blue eyes.

Suddenly, before the raven could finish his sentence, he gasped and gazed wide-eyed and open-mouthed at the blonde that was scowling at him at that moment.

~o~

I never did get to finish that sentence, really—especially not after I'd seen the person's face.

My eyes widened as soon as I'd opened them.

He was a boy about my age or a bit more, with mussy blonde hair and a fair complexion. And he was sitting on the ground almost in the same position as I was, rubbing his forehead gingerly with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

But the only thing that _did _captivate me at that moment...was his big, sapphire-blue eyes staring right back at me.

"Hey," the blonde said all of a sudden, in a somewhat concerned tone. He was leaning over me that instant, a long black cloak draped over his shoulders. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously. "Can you stand up? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

I gaped for a moment with wide eyes, speechless there for a minute. All that I could do at that moment…was mumble unintelligibly at him.

"Um…" I managed to utter just above a hushed whisper.

But I didn't get to say anything more.

All of a sudden, I heard footsteps running towards us, and immediately the boy stood up on his feet to jump behind a nearby fruit stand.

At the same time, my mind snapped back to reality and I sat up in that instant, rubbing my eyes as two men dressed in black suits and sunglasses rushed right past us.

"There he is!" one of them had cried as he ran right past me at that moment.

I groaned, getting up on my feet, then turned to see the blonde peer over the counter behind me with a hood covering the top of his head. I let out an exasperated sigh and walked behind the stand to look at the latter.

I paused, then spoke in a soft, reluctant voice. "Are you hiding from them?" I asked curiously.

In that instant, he rolled his eyes. "What does it _look_ like, you dummy? Of course I am. Now get out of here before someone sees," he retorted, peering over my shoulder to make sure the soldiers had disappeared.

At that moment, I frowned at him, then glanced over my shoulder and stared back at him. "Why?" I continued, tilting my head eagerly. "Did you do something wrong?"

The boy let out a sigh and lightly pushed me over to fix his hood. Then he turned to look at me and spoke in a slightly bitter tone. "If being the King's son is a crime around here…then yes—I _did _do something wrong," he replied.

Immediately, my eyes widened as I'd heard these words come out of the latter's mouth. "Wait—but…" My mouth gaped in that instant. "_You're—_"

Before I knew it, he'd already covered my mouth with his hand and briefly glanced back with anxious eyes. Then he turned his head to look at me with a cautious look on his face.

"_Yes—_I'm the Prince," he whispered briskly. "You don't have to scream it to the heavens."

In that instant, I frowned at the blonde as he reluctantly lifted his hand away.

"What are _you _doing here in a place like this?" I shot back, irritated.

"None of your business," he replied. He exhaled sharply and carefully stepped out on the path, eyes darting down both directions. Then he glanced over his shoulder to look at me.

"Look—I really don't have time to play with you right now, but do you know if there's a good place to hide around here? I can't let them find me," the Prince spoke apprehensively.

At that moment, I raised an eyebrow and walked right up to his face. "And why should I help someone like _you _hide? I'm not as special as you are, your _Highness_."

The Prince sighed and rolled his eyes. "Because it's_ important_, you twit—and when I get caught later on because you didn't help me, I'll tell them that _you _were the reason why I turned up missing in the first place, and your mother will end up taking some of the blame for it. Besides—you look like someone who actually knows your way around here, so why don't you put your talents to at least _some _use, then?"

_Wow…he really _is _a prat. _I crossed my arms over my chest and frowned. "Oh—is _that _so? And if I don't—"

Suddenly, rushing footsteps could be heard from around the corner, and before I could say anything more, Arthur had already disappeared.

.~o~

_What in heaven's name was that? _Merlin thought as he walked home by himself with the basket of food in his hands.

Even then, he still couldn't shake off the past events that had happened just more than a few minutes ago.

_Of all the people to run into today…_

Had that really been the Prince of Wales who had bumped into him earlier? It _really _had to be more than a coincidence now that their paths had crossed again like that, but why was he running from the King's guards?

The young raven frowned in that instant, contemplating hard on the latter's words.

And what did he mean by he'd done something wrong by just being the King's son?

At that moment, Merlin closed his eyes and sighed exasperatedly as he had begun to near his house, only a few feet away from it now. All this had rather been confusing to the nine-year-old at that point, and he struggled to push the thoughts away from his mind again as he'd usually done before.

But that wasn't until he'd passed the Prince's house and couldn't help but overhear two of the King's maids outside talking discreetly to one another on the front porch.

~o~

Of course, Merlin wasn't _eavesdropping _that instant, but his ears were quite sharp to hear the gossip that was being exchanged between the servant girls.

"_Did you hear about the King's son? He's been missing for hours now…"_

"_I know—they haven't found him yet, have they?"_

Immediately, the raven froze and stopped in his tracks as soon as he'd heard the word "missing."

_What? _he immediately thought to himself while he continued to listen to the women's conversation.

"_The King has already sent hundreds of his guards searching for him…do you think the child's all right? The poor thing…"_

Merlin held his breath and turned to walk up the front step to his house, remembering the cautious look on the blonde's face previously. He'd just _seen _him not more than a few minutes ago…

"…_where do you think he's run off to? He could be anywhere by now…"_

At that moment, the nine-year-old sucked in a gulp of air and reached for the doorknob in front of him.

_All right—that's it. What's going on already? _he thought uneasily to himself.

It really didn't seem like the Prince of Wales to go off running alone in a vast neighborhood like this…

_What could have possibly happened for him to—?_

In that instant, Merlin exhaled sharply. _That's enough. It's not any of your business, Merlin. Just leave it alone already…_

After that, he absent-mindedly turned the knob and pushed the door open, stepping into the threshold and putting the basket down to the side.

"I'm home—" the raven had begun to say.

But he'd never got to finish that sentence, either—not after he'd raised his gaze to see none other than the blonde himself sitting at the kitchen table in the middle of the room, his azure blue eyes still shimmering even now.

In just seconds, Merlin had stiffened where he was and had already found himself open-mouthed and wide-eyed all over again.

_No…way. You've _got _to be kidding me._

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **L'amore by Sonohra

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Lawl—there'll be more interaction between Arthur and Merlin in the following chapters to come, in addition to the gradual development of their friendship with each other. XD

Hope you're enjoying this so far—reviews would be much appreciated! :D

Thanks~ =^w^=

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.


	2. Chapter 2: A Sliver Lining

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 2: A Silver Lining**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/shounen-ai ~wO

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

And so we proceed with the beginning of a new and everlasting friendship. ^_^

**Silver: **If you somehow come across this, lawl—no, I did not purposely name Chapter 2 like this. XD The phrase just so happened to actually fit for them here. =w=";

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.

~o~

At that moment, Merlin was standing rigidly in front of the threshold, his eyes bulging with shock as he gazed incredulously at the blonde sitting a mere few feet away from him. And in just seconds, he had found himself shouting halfway across the room, waving his arms vigorously.

"What do _you _think you're doing here!"

Immediately, Arthur had flinched and whipped his head over to look the perturbed raven with wide eyes of surprise, meeting the other's disconcerted gaze.

Not long after that, Hunith had appeared from the sidelines to peer towards the door in time to see her poor, agitated son just about close to having a fit in the doorway. She paused, then slowly shook her head.

"Oh, dear…this has gotten a lot more complicated than it already is, hasn't it?"

Mrs. Emrys closed her eyes and let out a sigh before turning back to continue handling the stove. "Merlin, please close the door."

At that moment, the raven gradually eased up a bit, uneasily reaching back to grab the doorknob and close the door shut. Then he began to proceed towards his mother without any hesitation at all as she calmly turned the stove on to boil water in a pot.

"Mum!" Merlin cried. "What on earth is the Prince of Wales doing here in _our _house!"

He eyed Arthur suspiciously, only to watch him grin quite amusedly at the jumpy expression he now had on his face.

Finally, Hunith let out another sigh and placed another pot in the sink, then glanced back to meet her son's gaze with aplomb. "It's all right, love. Calm down before you end up having a fit."

There was a long pause.

She smiled slightly, grabbing a tablespoon from the counter, then continued in an even but soothing tone.

"There's absolutely no need to worry. Prince Arthur is just merely acting as our guest here for the time being," she spoke calmly.

At that moment, the raven raised a dubious eyebrow, briefly darting his eyes at the blonde as he listened to the words his mother was saying that minute. _Guest?_

That was when she'd finished her sentence with news that almost made Merlin jump over at Arthur to grab his neck in a chokehold.

"He'll be staying with us for a few days, so please help him feel at home."

In that instant, Merlin's breath had hitched, and his eyes had widened even more. "_What?_" he sputtered. "What do you mean—no way!"

At the same time, he glanced back to see Arthur chuckling softly behind him and frowned disdainfully at him. Then he turned to look at his mother again.

"_Mum…_" he began to protest in a half-whiny tone. "Please—you can't be serious. We've already got enough problems now."

At this, Hunith didn't even bother to give him a response.

Pretty soon, the chuckles behind him had turned into wholehearted laughs. "Don't you get it yet? She _is _being serious, you dolt."

Instantaneously, Merlin whirled around to pout at the young blonde, looking at him up and down. "Oh, pipe down, you prat. Just because you're the Prince of Wales doesn't mean you can barge randomly into people's houses like this and act all high and mighty like some god. It's already hard for us to feed ourselves. Why don't you go run off and bother somewhere else?" he spat out, almost shrieking.

At that moment, Arthur raised an eyebrow at the latter. How interesting it was to him to be informally addressed so freely by a commoner like this for the first time in his royal life. Of course if this had happened with someone other than the boy standing in front of him, he would have had the right to have him or her taken to the Tower of London in less than a second.

But right now was a different story—after all, he had run away from home, and Mrs. Emrys had already been so kind enough to help him temporarily take some form of refuge here in the first place. So he kept quiet and listened as the raven continued to tell him off.

Though that wasn't until Hunith had finally turned around to cut Merlin off before he'd end up strangling the other where he was now; she put down the spoon on the counter and turned around to look at Merlin with a stern expression on her face.

"Merlin, that's enough. Bring me the basket that Mr. Adams gave to you earlier, and while you're at it, go upstairs to call your siblings downstairs for supper."

The raven paused, staring at her in protest. "But _Mum…_"

Mrs. Emrys sighed and put her hand to her forehead. "I mean it, Merlin. _Now,_" she insisted.

With that, Merlin scowled at a smirking Arthur, then did as his mother asked and left.

~o~

The next few hours were not as pleasant, either—at least…not for Merlin that is.

The dinner table had been quite noisier than usual that evening, which had mainly been his brothers and sisters constantly fussing over how _Prince Arthur _was sitting with them—eating the same food as they were at that moment, in addition to answering all the numerous questions he'd end up being asked.

"Is it really that nice in England?"

"How big is Buckingham Palace?"

"Do you have your own butler and stuff?"

"Do they give you a lot of toys?"

"Is there really gold in the King's chambers?"

"How many times do your parents take you on vacations?"

"Can you take me with you one day when we're older?"

"Being the Prince of Wales is the life, isn't it?"

After a while, when his younger siblings were _still _chattering on and on to that bigheaded blonde, Merlin had finally had enough and got up from the dinner table, letting out an exasperated sigh after rolling his eyes at Arthur.

It had even driven the raven almost entirely mad later on when Molly, of all people, had been swayed along with the others. Molly—who Merlin had thought could have as well been the _only_ other remaining sensible sibling of his family who didn't usually obsess or fantasize over issues like this.

But soon, it had all been too late when he had seen her and two of his other younger sisters Diana and Lori with the self-conceited prince in the kitchen when everyone else had gone to bed for the night.

Merlin had just been about to hit the hay himself when he'd heard his sisters giggling from the other side of the room.

At that moment, Arthur was smiling at them like a complete idiot, and he diverted his gaze to look at him as he walked past them to make his way up the stairs to get dressed.

"Are you really staying here with us?" Diana had asked innocently.

"Are you really a prince?" Lori had added, tugging on the blonde's red sleeve.

The prat had chuckled, shifting his gaze among each and every one of them. "Of course I am," he'd replied with a grin, taking Molly's hand and kissing it briefly with sleepy, Prince Charming-like eyes.

"_Enchanté, mademoiselle," _he spoke in a cool, sultry tone, looking into Molly's chocolate-brown eyes.

In that instant, the brunette had blushed a little, shyly looking away from Arthur.

Merlin let out a sigh and rolled his eyes again. "Oh _come on. _That was probably the worst French that I've ever heard," he spat out.

At that moment, Molly turned around to laugh at her older brother. "How would you know? Can you speak French yourself, big brother?"

At first, the raven opened his mouth to speak confidently in reply, but then grew slightly hesitant for a minute.

"Well…no," he replied reluctantly, briefly scratching the back of his head. "But I do know for a fact that French accents shouldn't sound like that," he finished with a firm tone.

"Is that so?" Arthur replied, looking back at Merlin with an amused expression on his face, an eyebrow raised.

At that moment, Merlin unintentionally shrank back a little from the blonde, struck speechless for once in his life. "Er…"

_What in the world—?_

Before he knew it, his sisters were giggling again, and he found himself sulking over to the stairwell with a sheepish look on his face, his eyes lowered.

"Forget it—I'm going to bed," he sighed in defeat, making his way up towards his room.

And even when he knew they were out of sight, he could still feel Arthur smirking quite condescendingly at him.

~o~

Merlin closed his eyes and slowly shook his head as he grabbed the doorknob to his room. At that point, he knew for a fact that the next few days were definitely going to be hell with _him _around in his own home.

But at the same time, he couldn't help but feel that strange feeling in his heart all over again just like before during the first time that the two of them had laid eyes on each other that day—that particular warmth inside that was still too far for the nine-year-old to understand clearly...

In that instant, the raven let out an exhausted sigh, then pushed the door open to step into his chambers and found himself standing rigid in the middle of the threshold as he caught the first glance of clothes that most definitely weren't his scattered about on the floor and on his bed.

_Arthur's clothes, _he thought to himself flatly, frowning as he noticed a red cape with the royal emblem sewn onto its back.

Merlin took a deep breath, then leaned his head against the wall, almost wanting to bang it repeatedly against the surface. _Really now? Really?_

"So now he's decided to claim my room, too...oh, the joy," he muttered sarcastically.

With that, the raven sifted his fingers into his coal-black hair, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. Then he placed his hand over his mouth as he glanced over once more at the royal mess in front of him before finally stepping out of the room to make his way back downstairs with a discontent expression on his face.

_That's it—I need a glass of water._

~o~

Of course he wouldn't have minded at all if Arthur had bunked in with his other brothers, or perhaps decided to sleep downstairs. But for that pillock to barge into his room without permission and make a whole mess out of everything inside it...

This was absolutely too much.

Merlin swallowed and let out another sigh as he made his way down to the kitchen, just about halfway along the stairs.

It was quiet now that everyone else was asleep, making the atmosphere around him a bit less stuffy than it had been before...

But that wasn't until he'd begun to hear soft murmuring not far from where he was as he noticed that the kitchen was dark, nothing but the dim yellow-orange light of a candle illuminating its very walls.

For a moment, Merlin was quiet as he tiptoed down the stairs, careful not to catch any attention, then sat down on the last step to peer across the other side of the room from behind the railing to see two silhouettes sitting at the table, looking straight at each other's faces.

In that instant, the raven stiffened slightly as he scrutinized his gaze across the kitchen to see his mother seated on a wooden chair, Arthur across the table from her with a solemn expression on his face.

From how things had looked at that point, neither of them looked happy that minute. But then again...they weren't angry, either, but more...melancholic and somewhat serious. They were whispering to each other at the moment, Hunith's voice calm and sincere, while Arthur's replies had been rather brief and reluctant.

At that moment, Merlin had begun to think curiously about what the two of them were saying to one another and remained poised by the bottom of the stairwell, eventually staying there to silently listen in on the conversation they were having, his breathing pattern soft and even as his mother had opened her mouth again to aim another question at the young Pendragon.

"_It's quite all right if you stay here for a while. I have no reason against that, dear."_

In that instant, the blonde lowered his eyes and spoke in a soft but respectful tone. _"I truly promise that I won't become a burden to you or the rest of your family, Mrs. Emrys. I really am sorry for placing this inconvenience on you in the first place. If my father somehow finds me here later on and begins to blame you for my disappearance or threaten to take away your job...I swear on my life that I'll take full responsibility for it, even if it kills me."_

Merlin swallowed and stared at the blonde, his gaze intent and unwavering on his complexion. But before he could even turn to glance for his mother's reaction, Hunith had already been laughing at the latter, comfortingly reaching over to put her hand on his shoulder.

"Oh...you needn't worry about that, love. It's rather early to be making promises so noble even if you do have a great future ahead of you as a king-to-be. You're still too young." She smiled, slightly squeezing his arm. "Besides, I'm sure that in time your father will learn to find reason to your actions soon enough. Otherwise he wouldn't be such a kind and understanding king to his people."

But despite Hunith's reassuring words, the blonde only frowned and looked away in despair. "That's easy for you to say," he managed to speak in a dull voice after a long moment of silence. "No one else is the King's son except for me." He winced slightly. "How he treats his own people is another story from how he treats the one who'll end up taking his place in the future," Arthur replied solemnly, slowly shaking his head. "Which is why he's always got such high expectations for me that I can't even reach most of the time. It hurts just to even _think_ about them now when I know that I'm still just a kid."

He closed his eyes, then sucked in a huge a gulp of air, tentatively lowering his head down on his elbows folded on top of the table.

Soon, it was quiet between them again, and Merlin's eyes had softened on the blonde.

At first, Hunith's expression grew sad but then turned sympathetic. "Would you like to talk about it?" she asked carefully in a calm tone.

Silence.

"...you wouldn't be able to understand."

At that moment, she slowly took her hand off the latter's shoulder, and he reluctantly raised his head to look into her warm, chocolate-brown eyes.

"Try me," Hunith had replied with a kind smile, staring into the prince's eyes. "I might not be able to understand your situation as much right now, but...I'm pretty good at listening as a mother, despite all that. Merlin always comes to me whenever he has anything he wants to talk about, so...it's worth a shot, if you wish to talk about it or not. I promise I won't say anything until you've finished pouring everything out," she finished with empathetic eyes.

Arthur was silent and hesitantly lowered his eyes to his feet.

At the same time, Merlin held his breath to listen carefully to what the latter had to say.

After a few more seconds of thinking, the Prince had opened his mouth to begin telling his story in a hushed, solemn murmur.

~o~

"I never meant to run so far away from home," he had spoken hoarsely. "I just wanted to get away from everything for once. I couldn't take it anymore."

The blonde exhaled sharply and continued. "Even if we _are _away from England right now...Father still has his ways of trying to fit in the smallest amount of business with representatives and ambassadors abroad. All this fake smiling...and waving...and acting like the most _perfect _son...it just wasn't me," he sighed with a frown. "Yesterday may as well have been the _worst _when I'd finally refused to come along with my father to one of those useless royal meetings of his as the next heir to the throne—this..._figurehead _of London," Arthur spat out bitterly before putting his hand to his forehead and slowly shaking his head. "He'd gotten so mad at me that day that...I just _couldn't._"

At that moment, Merlin had noticed that Arthur was shaking from his seat, his expression tense and hands balled up into tight fists. Hunith's eyes had softened, and she had calmly reached over to take the blonde's trembling hands, though almost immediately, Arthur had found himself catching her in a warm embrace, cringing under her arms.

At the same time, the raven had begun to feel a lump forming at the base of his throat, gradually swelling as the minutes passed, and his body began to feel tense as well, his breathing a bit quicker and shorter than usual. Yet he could not understand at all...why he was feeling this way just now—for he had not even had a father to begin with.

He had left him so long ago when he was so young...that he could not even remember what he had _looked _like before the man had disappeared forever from his life, never to be seen or heard from again.

He stiffened when he'd heard another sharp exhale from the Pendragon, then a choked whisper. "I already know...how worried Mother must be for me at this point...and I've wanted to go home for more than a while now..." His voice had faltered on those last few words, and he swallowed deep before speaking again. "But I _can't,_" he finished in a firm tone. "I can't go back, because my father is just so—"

_Shut up, _Merlin thought to himself in that instant, wincing in pain as he continued to listen. His mother had probably seen him by now, but he didn't care anymore at this point.

_Just shut up—please..._

Before the blonde knew it, his throat had closed up slightly, and Hunith had comfortingly rubbed the poor child's back. "Shh...it's okay," she began in a soft voice. "I can understand how much this hurts for you right now..."

"No," Arthur instinctively blurted out, engulfed in his emotions. "No, you can't. _No one _but me can understand what it's like to have a father so...so _cold_ and ignorant towards another's feelings."

At that moment, the raven's eyes widened as those words reached his ears, and he had slowly began to rise up in his seat, tears beginning to well up over his cheeks. _Please...I—_

The blonde took a deep breath, his face forlorn and anguished. "I—" he began in a sharp tone.

But suddenly, he'd been cut off mid-sentence by the sound of the front door slamming shut and the pitter-patter of running footsteps outside in the pouring rain.

~o~

Merlin didn't look back even once as he was drenched by the storm. He had only continued to run faster and faster, for all that had been on his mind at that point was the faint, dark silhouette of his father.

_Merlin..._

The raven choked and took a deep breath before closing his eyes to shake the thought away. After all those years, it had been so difficult to forget that specific day—but now...

_No more... _he'd begun to think desperately to himself at that moment before the tears had begun to fall down from his cheeks, almost in sync with the raindrops that fell from the sky.

_No more—_

CRASH. Clang.

Before long, the nine-year-old had found himself lying face down on the sidewalk beside a bunch of trash cans near the street. Immediately, he had stumbled up on his feet, then collapsed behind the cans, gasping with his back against the cold, wet metal as he despondently looked up at the night sky, his shapeless emotions blending with the drops of rain that fell on his face in that instant.

"Why!" he yelled up at the heavens, his voice filled with anguish.

At that moment, a stifled sob managed to escape from Merlin's lips, and immediately, he had covered his mouth with his hand, taking a deep breath.

_Stop it, Merlin—what are you doing now? _he thought sadly to himself, closing his eyes and burying his head into his curled-up knees. _He's not coming back...he's not..._

In that instant, a rumble of thunder resounded in the dark of night, and Merlin sniffled, sucking in a narrow gulp of air.

_He's not._

~o~

It had probably been about fifteen minutes now since Merlin had run off from home.

And he was still there by the trash cans, soaked to the bone with rain, his head buried in his arms that were folded on top of his knees at that moment.

The raven sniffled and sighed.

But that wasn't when he'd heard a rustle and a small clank from behind break the dead silence of the night, and stiffened when he'd heard a familiar voice resonate in the shadows around him.

"It's interesting to see that you've refrained from using your gifts for this long, young warlock. Never did I expect to see you here in a place like this."

In that instant, the raven had held his breath, raising his head to glance over his shoulder with wary eyes. _It couldn't be..._

But it was. At that moment, a small but great ivy-green lizard could be seen standing proudly on the very top of the trash can he was leaning on, a shrewd grin lit across his face.

Immediately, Merlin furiously wiped his cheeks and timidly looked up into the creature's eyes.

"Oh...Kilgarrah," he muttered softly, moving around a little to compose himself.

In response, the reptile chuckled amusedly at the raven and lowered his head to meet the other's gaze.

"It's good to see you again, Merlin," Kilgarrah replied in an articulate tone, still grinning at the boy. "Has your family settled in here fine recently?"

"Er...yes," the nine-year-old spoke in an unwavering tone. "Everything's been quite all right."

With that, the great reptile nodded once in approval. "Good...so then things _are_ going well so far," he responded with a pleased voice.

Merlin gulped, then shrugged back with a sheepish expression on his face.

At this, Kilgarrah chuckled again. Then, he went on to continue with a cunning, unfamiliar gleam in his golden eyes.

"How about the young Pendragon?" he added smoothly in that instant. "Has he been fending off fine as well?"

At that moment, Merlin frowned with thought and lowered his head to look down at the ground. "Well...yeah—I guess so—" he'd begun reluctantly, biting his lip. But before he could continue any further, he stopped mid-sentence as soon as he'd realised how he'd never mentioned the blonde's name to the reptile at any point before the beginning of their conversation.

With that, he sputtered, looking up at Kilgarrah with incredulous eyes. "Hold on—how did you know—"

"I know _all _that there is to know, young warlock," the lizard cut in proudly with another crafty smile. "You should know that by now as well."

In that instant, the raven shrank back slightly, not knowing what to say at the moment. "Right..."

Kilgarrah smirked, then laughed heartily at his baffled expression and sighed. "So—how _is _the young Prince?" he asked, intrigued. "From the news that I've heard from my sources, Arthur seems to be quite a polite and affable child for his age—more than suitable to become the Once and Future King of Wales."

But almost immediately after that, Merlin found himself rolling his eyes with disbelief and irk, almost out scoffing in aggravation.

"Oh, don't even start with me on that—that's what he probably _wants _everyone to think."

~o~

"He's an arrogant, self-conceited prat who doesn't know hemp from flax," the raven had remarked pointedly at the green reptile. "He ticks me off all the time, and he's absolutely _far _from being polite, don't get me wrong," he added.

At this, Kilgarrah couldn't help but chuckle as the conversation went on like this for more than ten minutes already.

"Is he now?" the creature replied with an amused expression on his face.

"Of course he is!" Merlin shot back instantly. "He's probably the biggest brute I've ever seen in my life! I'll have you know that at this point, he's probably mooching off in my room right now!"

At that moment, the lizard smirked, his amber eyes glimmering in the darkness of the night. "So I see. How interesting."

"I swear that if he tries to pull a stunt on any of my sisters, I'll grab his neck and strangle him myself—"

"Now, now," Kilgarrah cut in, laughing heartily at the young raven. "Let's not be rash here, Merlin. How long has he been staying in your home?"

"Er..."

In that instant, Merlin paused and lowered his head. "Well...he's only moved in just this afternoon. To be honest, he even plans to stay in our house for a few days or so," he added reluctantly before whipping his head up again to gaze intently into the other's eyes.

"But his reasons for running away for home are rather stupid, if you ask me," he spat out bitterly.

At this, the reptile nodded with interest as he listened to the boy's words. "Because he doesn't cherish the company of his father as much as you would have had yours not left when you were at such a young age?"

For a minute, it grew silent all of a sudden.

Then the raven winced and spoke just above a hushed whisper. "...yes," he spoke meekly, staring into Kilgarrah's eyes with a lost, forlorn look on his face.

At that moment, the reptile closed his eyes and nodded once with respect. "I see."

Merlin exhaled and closed his eyes as well, clenching his fists as he'd remembered the words that the blonde had said earlier that night.

"He doesn't understand a thing about what it's like to not have a father around when you need him the most," he murmured sulkily at the latter. "To be burdened with having to support your family without anyone to guide you from behind—to learn from when you've made mistakes and don't have any idea how to fix them...Arthur doesn't know _anything _about it," he finished staring intently at the ground below him.

At this, Kilgarrah opened his eyes and gazed wisely at the latter before him. "...which is why you must teach him to see life in your perspective, as you must learn in return to put yourself in the boy's shoes."

In that instant, the raven stirred and raised his head to look up at the reptile with a confused expression on his face. "What in the world do you mean by that?" he asked incredulously.

At that moment, the great lizard chuckled cunningly at him. "You'll see in due time."

Merlin frowned, questioningly raising an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Kilgarrah started to laugh at that point, his amber irises almost bouncing. "Indeed, I see great potential in you to become a very powerful sorcerer, Merlin. But studying pure magic itself is not your only fate, for you must also learn when to use it and for what purposes," he spoke shrewdly. "Similarly, Arthur will indeed become the Once and Future King of Wales," he continued with a grin. "And he must also learn how to judge people of the truest hearts in addition to learning right from wrong and making wise decisions. Which is why you will be there to help him realise his true destiny—for your fate is intertwined with his from now until the end of time as both his conscience and his protector."

"What—me? What in the world are you talking about?" the raven replied in an exasperated tone. "Why can't you get anyone else to do that? I'm no _bodyguard_, that's for sure. I'm just a kid, for crying out loud."

But the great creature only shook his head and smirked amusedly at the latter. "Ah, Merlin...as naive as _always..."_

Before long, Merlin noticed him begin to fade in the shadows behind him, and in that instant, he scrambled up to call after the emerald reptile.

"Wait!" he cried helplessly into the night, his eyes darting around in search of the lizard. "I still don't understand!"

"Everything will unfold when the time is right," Kilgarrah replied, his voice faltering as he disappeared from view. "Believe in what is to come, young warlock.

At that moment, the raven frowned and aimlessly began to fumble blindly for the reptile. But it was useless for he was already gone.

Merlin sighed and exhaled sharply, putting his hand to his forehead. _What did he mean?_

"Come back—" he started to shout.

"Merlin?"

Immediately, the raven held his breath and whirled around to see Arthur standing behind him, his messy blonde hair soaking wet and bright blue eyes perplexed.

~o~

The two had stared intently at each other for quite a while before either of them had opened their mouths to speak.

Merlin had lowered his eyes away from the blonde before turning around to lift the lid of the trash can to rummage about its contents in the hopes that maybe someone had already disposed of any leftovers from supper.

"Oh," the raven began in a dull, nonchalant tone. "It's you. What do you want from me now?"

At that moment, the prince flinched slightly, staring curiously at the nine-year-old. "You ran off so suddenly. I just wanted to see if you were all right," he replied in a slow and careful voice.

In that instant, Merlin stiffened where he was and paused, Arthur staring at him from behind with a somewhat concerned look on his face.

Silence.

Then after a while, the raven continued to scavenge through the garbage can without glancing back at the blonde even once.

"I'm fine," Merlin spoke detachedly, struggling to keep a blank countenance at that point.

No response.

At that moment, he stopped again, this time to finally look back at the prince. But the minute that he turned around...his face had been no more than an inch away from his—and before he could say anything more, he'd glanced down to see Arthur's hand gently stroke his tear-stained cheek.

"You're crying," he spoke in a soft tone in that instant, looking up to gaze longingly into the raven's azure eyes.

Merlin closed his eyes and held his breath.

Soon after that, he slightly turned his head away from the blonde and put his hand over his.

~o~

Even now, it had still been raining, and Merlin and Arthur were now sitting by the trash cans next to each other, staring up at the black night sky.

_Whoosh, _the wind whistled as another breeze blew on right past them.

They listened as the thunder rumbled, the rain cool against their cheeks. Then finally, after a few minutes, the blonde glanced over at the raven.

"So," he began in a calm, casual voice. "Is this pretty much where your family gets their food all the time?"

Merlin closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Only when there's nothing left," he replied impassively.

At this, Arthur nodded thoughtfully, contemplating on the other's words. "So I see..." He pursed his lips, then glanced down at the latter's face. "You've been supporting them this whole time then?"

"Yeah..."

Soon, it had grown quiet between them again, and the Pendragon had spoken again in a careful tone. "I'm sorry if I hurt you at any point earlier today."

At that moment, Merlin stirred and reluctantly glanced up the prince with hesitant eyes.

In that instant, Arthur shrank back a little. "But of course...I actually mean what happened _before_ you ran away—not that I don't apologize about any of the other things that occurred between the two of us today," he added sheepishly.

The raven smiled slightly as the blonde raised his hand to scratch the back of his head in thought.

"But anyway, putting all of that aside..." the young Pendragon continued. "...did I hurt your feelings by saying something wrong back there? I promise I didn't mean to make you run away. If I ended up offending you in any way, I'm really sorry about that. My father is just...my father."

At that moment, Merlin was silent and looked away from the latter.

Arthur winced, and went on to speak in a concerned tone. "Oh—I'm so sorry, was that it? Did I end up insulting your father when I started talking about mine?"

"I don't have a father," the raven cut in abruptly. He frowned, lowering his sad eyes. "He left a long time ago...when I was just a baby."

_Rumble._

In that instant, the rain had begun to pour even harder, causing Merlin's jet-black hair to cover both of his eyes at that point.

And at the same time, Arthur's eyes had softened, and he winced at how bitter the other's voice had been towards him.

"...I didn't know," he'd ended up murmuring softly instead of apologizing, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

No response.

~o~

For a minute, the two had looked away from each other to look back up at the vast darkness of the night, listening to the pitter-pattering sound of the rain around them.

But it hadn't been for more than a while when Merlin had finally begun to shiver from the cold, instinctively wrapping his arms over his shoulder to hug himself.

Instantly, Arthur had been at his side, embracing the young raven with his own arms to share his body heat between them.

"Goodness, Merlin—next time you decide to run off like that, at least bring a coat outside, will you?"

The raven didn't answer. Instead, he'd found himself desperately clutching at the blonde at that moment, numerous thoughts flooding his mind at the same time as he glanced up into the prince's sapphire eyes, staring out into another dimension.

He shuddered slightly, then bit his lip as he felt the blonde's warmth rush right through him at that moment, almost immobilizing him where he was.

Still he couldn't understand at this point...why he was feeling like this right now.

After another breeze of wind had blown past the two of them that instant, Merlin had found himself slipping away from consciousness, exhausted from the day itself.

But at the same time, he'd truly recognized for the first time the blonde's presence there beside him—his irreplaceable warmth slowly making its way into the very core of his heart, which had strangely felt...quite comforting to the raven.

He'd paused for just a second more, than absent-mindedly opened his mouth to speak up in just above a soft whisper.

"Of all the places you could have chosen to hide in...why in the world did you go and pick mine?"

For a moment, it was silent, the rain continuing to fall upon them.

By that time, Merlin's eyelids were half closed, his breathing slow but even as he'd waited for the other's response.

But Arthur hadn't answered.

At least...not right away.

Just before sleep had finally taken him, he'd heard—or thought he'd heard—a hushed murmur escape the young Pendragon's lips with a small grin, the dim moonlight elucidating his fair complexion under wet, soaking blonde hair.

"Because I knew from the moment I met you...that you would probably be the only one to truly ever understand me for who I really am."

At that moment, the raven's breath hitched a little as he'd heard those words. Then after that, he had finally closed his eyes and sank deep into slumber.

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **Bumuhos Man Ang Ulan (Even if the Rain Falls) by Jericho Rosales

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Again, hope you guys are still enjoying this. ^_^"; Hopefully I should be able to get the next update up soon. n_n";

The next chapter'll consist of more intimate bonding between Arthur and Merlin as they begin see the life of both the poor and rich through each other's eyes and understand...

Till then, loves~ Reviews would be very much appreciated. ;D

Regards,

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.


	3. Chapter 3: In Your Eyes through Mine

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 3: In Your Eyes through Mine**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/shounen-ai ~wO

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Still not much to say. ^^";

Whole plot's based on a true story short, though this is much different. n_n";

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.

~o~

It had been about 9:00 in the morning when Merlin had woken up half-dazed, his head almost spinning.

The raven had groaned, sitting up to sift his hand through his messy, jet black hair.

_Where am I?_

At that moment, he'd let out a sigh, groggily opening his eyes to see the beige walls and hardwood flooring of his room, and immediately, he'd snapped back to reality right then and there, his breath hitching.

_How did I...get back all the way over here? _Merlin had thought to himself with wide eyes. At the same time, the events of last night had slowly begun to reoccur in his mind, making him feel uneasy as he'd remembered running away from home.

The raven's eyes had widened with apprehension as he aimlessly looked around the room with a shocked expression on his face.

_I don't even know where I'd ended up last night, so how in the world did I—_

In an instant, he'd stiffened when he'd heard soft snoring beside his bed and tentatively turned to glance down at the floor to catch a glimpse of Arthur Pendragon lying on the floor.

The blonde had been sleeping at that moment, on a makeshift bed made of leftover pillows that Merlin had usually kept under his bed. His face had been almost angelic to the raven, a fair complexion calm and serene with slumber.

For a minute, the raven had felt a strange weight being lifted from his chest, and his eyes had softened as he recalled the familiar warmth that he'd felt the other night, reaching up to put his hand over his chest as it began to beat faster and faster just as it did before.

_Of course._

At that moment, Merlin had paused to smile slightly at the sleeping prince before him, then got up from his bed to reach for the blanket he'd had draped over his legs and pulled it over his shoulder, Arthur fussing a little before going back to sleep.

After all had been quiet again, the raven had closed his eyes and let out a small sigh, leaving the room to go downstairs.

~o~

Merlin was almost lucky that none of his siblings had woken up yet, since usually around this time they'd be up to meet him downstairs for breakfast.

But each and every one of them were asleep in their beds, and soon after he'd reached the last door, the raven had proceeded to tiptoe downstairs with the intention of going out to _find _breakfast for his brothers and sisters while it was still early in the morning.

However, he'd been more than halfway down the steps...when he'd realised in an instant that to his surprise, the kitchen table was already set up with paper plates, plastic utensils, and..._food _that actually wasn't scraps.

It was indeed, _real _food, hot and fresh, the smell of it almost mouth-watering to him at that point. At that moment, just as he had approached the threshold, his eyes widened and mouth dropped with awe and disbelief.

_Who could have done this?_

Almost immediately, numerous thoughts had begun to flood Merlin's head, turning his mind this way and that. But then he had held his breath in an instant when he had heard a loud yawn from behind and whirled around to see a tired blonde leaning against the threshold, rubbing his eyes.

"It wasn't that easy carrying you all the way back, if you must know."

The young Pendragon had let out a sigh before looking into the other's shocked eyes, raising an amused eyebrow at him. "Do you like it?"

At that moment, the raven had been all but speechless, still gawking at the blonde with wide eyes. At first, he stood stiff where he was, but then he finally managed to swallow and _breathe _before opening his mouth to speak barely intelligible words.

"Arthur..." he'd croaked, slowly glancing back at the delicious food. "You mean...you did all this by yourself?"

There was a pause.

After a few seconds, Merlin had exhaled sharply before turning around to face the young prince again, only to find him with nothing but a smug grin on his face as he took a few steps forward until he was almost standing right in front of him.

"Yeah," Arthur had replied, his sapphire blue eyes glimmering with happiness that instant. "I did."

At that moment, the raven had gulped as he gazed timidly up at the latter, then tried to speak again.

"But how did you—"

The blonde had chuckled lightly for a minute before answering him confidently. "Don't worry about it—it's not stolen or anything like that." He glanced back at the window. "Despite the fact that we're all part of the royal family, my mother actually knows a lot of the common people that live here, including the merchants that sell food in the markets that you visit so often. So I went out early in the morning while you were asleep to gather up whatever I could manage to get from them," he finished, pointing at the table.

In that instant, Merlin had looked back in amazement, then turned back to Arthur with a stunned expression on his face. "Good heavens..."

Suddenly, his eyes bulged as he'd realised yet another detail and whirled around to stare at the prince open-mouthed. "But wait a second—wouldn't anyone have seen you, then? What if they tell your father that you—"

"I know for a fact that the people I talked to wouldn't because they were too good of friends to my mother, so they wouldn't dare," Arthur cut in abruptly with a clever smile. "Besides relatively everyone else was asleep when I went out, so not a lot could see me then. And I was wearing a cloak to disguise myself, so there you go," he added with a small laugh.

For a minute, Merlin had paused, taking some time to somehow grasp all that was occurring to him just now, still confused by how much the young prince had risked for him alone...

But finally after a while, he managed to look up at Arthur again and spoke just above a hushed whisper.

"...why did you do all this...for _me?_"

Silence.

Then soon, Arthur's face grew kind and serious. "Because...I really wanted to make it up to you."

At this, Merlin nodded slowly, turning his thoughts over and over in his mind.

But then the blonde had grinned slightly and spoke again, lowering his eyes. "With that being said..." he began in a soft tone, carefully putting his hand on the other's shoulder.

"Can I ask...if we can start over? From the very beginning?"

At that moment, Merlin raised his head to look straight into Arthur's eyes.

Both had looked at each other for a long while, observing the different gleams each had in one another's eyes.

After a few more seconds, Merlin had managed to grin back and nodded once at the blonde in agreement.

"I'd like that very much."

Arthur laughed. Then he sighed and lightly patted the other's shoulder: "All right then," he exhaled, taking his hand off of Merlin's shoulder

At the same time, Merlin watched the blonde patiently with a curious expression on his face.

Before long, Arthur took another deep breath and gazed into his bright blue eyes.

"So..." he began, slowly extending his hand out to the raven with a winsome expression on his face. "I'm Arthur."

At that moment, Merlin couldn't help but chuckle a little before finally taking the latter's hand with a genuine smile.

"Merlin."

~o~

From that point forward, the two had spent more time with each other, what with Arthur helping Merlin take care of his siblings and even play with them every now and then out in front of the woods behind the house.

"Merlin, over here!" Arthur had cried while jumping to the side with his arms outstretched.

In that instant, Merlin had smiled before receiving the ball from Diana's hands and throwing it at the blonde.

Most of the time, nothing but children's laughter could be heard from behind the Emrys home, though no one had ever thought to think that the Prince of Wales was hiding in the same spot.

But likewise from that experience, a new bond had begun to form between the two boys, each moment that they'd find themselves looking into each other's eyes, and for Merlin, it had been the first time ever that he'd felt feelings this strong for someone other than his family...

~o~

The days had passed in that week, and it hadn't been until much later that there had finally been a night where Arthur had been looking vigilant out the window as his father's security guards patrolled the streets while Merlin was busy behind him getting ready for bed in his nightclothes.

"They've been out there for days now..." the blonde had murmured in a soft voice filled with concern. "Do you think they're still looking for me?"

At that moment, Merlin sighed and pulled the covers. "I don't know...but I'm pretty sure that they are. Be careful not to get to close to the window, otherwise they'll see you from here."

In that instant, Arthur nodded once and slightly back away from the windowsill.

Then it was silent between them soon after.

"Merlin?"

The raven pursed his lips before responding timidly. "Yeah?"

There was another pause.

"Would you be happy if...if I went back with my family?"

At first, Merlin didn't answer. But then he stopped to think hard about the other's question.

"...I don't know—would it make you happy?"

At that moment, Arthur frowned and continued to gaze out at the night sky, guards still outside changing shifts.

"I don't know."

Silence.

At this, Merlin's eyes couldn't help but soften and he looked down. "Arthur...I only say I don't know because I'm not the one with your feelings. What you want to do is what you want to do."

No reply.

In that instant, the raven closed his eyes and clutched the sheets before speaking just below a whisper.

"But if there's anything that'll make you feel happy...then I guess I'll be happy as well."

At that moment, Arthur's eyes had widened upon hearing his words and held his breath as he glanced back to see the solemn expression on the other's face. Then he turned away from the windowsill to sit next to Merlin on the bed.

At first, there was more silence between them.

But not long after that...Arthur had lowered his eyes and absent-mindedly reached over to take Merlin's finger, a soft look on his face.

Instinctively, Merlin flinched slightly and looked up into the blonde's eyes.

At that, he had smiled at the raven before giving his finger a small squeeze.

"...thank you, Merlin."

For a minute, the raven held his breath and stared intently into the other's eyes.

Then he looked down at their intertwined fingers and warmly smiled back at the prince.

"...no problem."

~o~

The next morning, Merlin had woken up earlier than usual, only to be surprised in seeing Arthur packing his bag next to him.

"What are you doing?" the raven had yawned, stretching his arms out in front of him.

At that moment, Arthur stiffened where he was, then looked over at Merlin with a serious expression on his face. "I'm going home."

For a minute, Merlin paused to think once more, then managed to grin back at the blonde.

"All right—I'll come with you then," he replied, his eyes eager.

At this, Arthur couldn't help but smile at Merlin, then glanced over at the other side of the room where his cloak was, draped over a nearby stool.

"Get that for me?" he asked expectantly with a raised eyebrow.

In that instant, the raven chuckled in amusement and rolled his eyes playfully. "Yes, _sire,_" he spoke in a sarcastic tone.

~o~

In the next hour, Merlin and Arthur had carefully and quietly made their way across the street until the two of them were finally standing in front of the Pendragon manor.

Then Merlin had gone so far as to hide behind the bushes just as Arthur raised his hand to ring the doorbell to his home.

_Ding-dong._

After a few minutes of waiting, both had heard faint footsteps approaching the front, getting louder and louder each second.

And then...not long after that, the door had finally opened to reveal a tall, blonde-haired Queen Ygraine, dressed in satin and bearing a complexion as fair as her son's, standing wide-eyed in the midst of the threshold.

"Arthur?"

In that instant, the Prince looked up at her and smiled kindly before she had finally taken him into a big bear hug and pulled him inside, thrilled to see her one and only child alive and well after searching for him for more than a few days.

At the same time while this was happening, Merlin couldn't help but smile and glance over at the nearest window to see Mrs. Pendragon showering Arthur with kisses, the two of them laughing and smiling delightedly at each other.

The raven's eyes softened upon experiencing the very sight, almost remembering the times he'd felt the same way when his family had once been complete and happy...

After a few more minutes, Merlin had closed his eyes and let out a sigh before turning away from the window to make his way back home.

Although he hadn't quite seen at that moment...how Arthur had brought himself to shift his eyes towards the window—just in time to see his dear friend begin leaving the front porch.

At first, he didn't know what to do that instant, other than just watch him helplessly with the pain of separation deep down in the very core of his heart. But not long after that, a thought had finally occurred to him, and his face had soon lit up before he'd eventually turned to tug eagerly at his mother's sleeve.

"Yes, Arthur?" Ygraine had murmured, leaning her head down to listen to anything her son had to say at that moment.

In that instant, the blonde had smiled as he briskly whispered into her ear.

~o~

Merlin had just been about to step on the sidewalk when he'd heard the door open again and heard Arthur call from behind.

"Wait—Merlin."

At that moment, the raven's breath had hitched slightly as he'd stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the blonde standing on the front step with a small white cardboard box in his hands.

"Yeah?" the nine-year-old had replied, curiously gazing at the young blonde.

But before he could say anything more, Arthur had extended his hands out to give him the box he was holding, filled with what seemed like a bunch of freshly made chocolate chip cookies...

In that instant, Merlin had slowly reached over to take the box, looking up at him questioningly.

The blonde had laughed at that moment as he opened his mouth to speak.

"My mum made these a while ago. Thought your brothers and sisters might like them later."

At this, Merlin smiled with delight and slightly lifts the cover of the box to sniff the cookies.

"Wow...they smell great," he murmured before looking up at Arthur with a grateful expression on his face. "Thanks."

"Same to you," Arthur replied, nodding in approval. "For _everything._"

At that moment, Merlin couldn't help but laugh softly at him.

But then all of a sudden, Arthur's face grew solemn, and Merlin immediately grew quiet.

Silence.

"...promise me one thing though," the blonde had muttered, lowering his eyes for a minute with a reluctant countenance.

At that moment, Merlin's eyes became filled with concern. "What?" he asked, a storm of thoughts flooding his mind all over again. "What could possibly be...?"

Before he could say another word...he had looked down to see Arthur calmly reach over to take Merlin's finger in his hand one more time with a small smirk.

"Promise me...that this won't be the last time I'll ever see you again."

Instantly, the raven's eyes had widened.

But then after a long while, he managed to look up into Arthur's eyes to see that they were shimmering as usual, with that unique warmth that had always managed to make its way into the core of his very heart.

And soon after that...a genuine smile had appeared on Merlin's face, and he'd opened his mouth to speak in a soft but clear whisper.

"I promise."

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **Close to You by The Carpenters (don't own this or any of the other songs I've mentioned previously ^^";)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Reviews would be much appreciated~ :D

Hope you guys enjoyed—next update'll be up as soon as possible, though I've got effin' SAT(I)'s to study for this weekend. _"; But I promise I'll manage. That way you all know what to do if I don't come back...just kidding. XD

Ja~ =^w^=

.::.*~Kitsune Shadow~*.::.


	4. Chapter 4: Essentials from the Heart

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 4: Essentials from the Heart**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/shounen-ai ~wO

**Music on My Mind~ **Rhythm of Love by The Plain White T's (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Sorry for it took so long for this update—things got hectic after SAT(I)'s—what with finals and the assload of projects my teachers decided to give me the week before. :P And then came along swim practice... 6_6";

But now I'm back~ :D

As for this chapter...all I can say is fluff...another character...cars...and _The Little Prince_ by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, to whoever's read it (don't own btw). ;D

That is all. w

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

Since that day, Merlin had indeed kept true to his promise, as he visited the young Prince almost every afternoon in his mansion in time to have play dates with him under his mother's consent, during her work shifts later in the day.

"Come on!" Arthur had laughed, pulling the raven in through the threshold of his room.

Almost instantly, Merlin's eyes had widened with disbelief as he stepped barefoot onto the carpet to see what seemed like thousands of new, shiny toys scattered about the room, just waiting to be picked up and played with.

The raven paused and pursed his lips. "This is..." he murmured in awe.

But before he could say anything more, the blonde had already rushed towards him with two small remote controls in his hands, a camouflage green fighter pilot's hat sitting on the latter's head. "Here," he beamed, giving one to him in that instant.

At that moment, Merlin had frowned and curiously took the control in his palm, examining its levers and antenna.

"What is it?" he asked, eagerly flipping it over to look at the screws.

But Arthur had only smiled. "I'll show you."

Before long, the raven had glanced up in time to see the blonde turn and point his remote at a shiny red fire truck at the corner of the room, effortlessly switching a lever on the control.

And Merlin had almost flinched back entirely when the vehicle had started to veer off in an instant, red and blue lights flashing and sirens wailing.

"Wow..." he'd muttered softly, his mouth dropping open in wonder. "That's..."

As he raised his head to look directly into Arthur's eyes, the prince had chuckled amusedly at him, then pointed at another car stationed at the other side of the room—a blue monster truck with flames on the sides.

"Feel free to see if you can make yours move, too," he laughed.

Immediately Merlin's eyes had bulged even more. "You mean this one's—"

"Yeah."

His mouth dropped. "It's so shiny..."

"Why don't you give it a try?" Arthur insisted expectantly, beaming at him once more.

Silence.

The raven couldn't help but pause, taking some time to absorb all that was happening at that present moment—the once-in-a-lifetime privilege that he was being given now...that he knew for a fact he would never be able to experience again in his own home.

It had been a long while before he'd brought himself to give a small smile of delight and gazed eagerly at Arthur, who'd nodded once with much approval.

With that, Merlin had glanced down at his remote inquisitively before finally pointing it over at the truck and carefully switching both levers, causing the vehicle's wheels to eventually speed up and squeal as it accelerated forward by the threshold next to the blonde's fire truck.

By the time it'd stopped, the raven had smiled elatedly, shifting his gaze back at the prince to see a proud but clever smirk appear on his fair face in an instant.

"Race you," Arthur had finally said after another minute, darting his eyes over at him with a somewhat _competitive_ look that seemed very interesting to Merlin at that moment...

Before long, both had found themselves grinning smugly at each other before quickly pressing the levers on their controls and listening as their trucks sped on instantaneously.

Within seconds, the two boys had already sprinted out the door and into the hallway.

~o~

In the next half-hour, Arthur and Merlin had been seen rushing excitedly through the halls of the manor, just _barely_ avoiding the numerous servants and maids that passed them carrying various items in their hands.

Zoom.

"Oh my!"

Zip.

"Good heavens!"

_Screech_. "What the devil—"

Crash.

"Do be careful, young masters!"

"Sorry!" both cried in unison before quickly turning to continue chasing after their cars.

Soon, it had come to a point where red had begun to overtake blue, and Arthur started to laugh victoriously.

"Can't catch me, Merlin!" the blonde drawled.

At that moment, a determined gleam immediately grew in the raven's eyes, and in just seconds, his car began to move even faster until it almost _zipped_ past Arthur's, causing the Prince's own eyes bulge in awe and incredulity. "What the—" he'd begun to protest, darting his eyes from the monster truck to him. "How did you—"

In that instant, Merlin chuckled cunningly and glanced back at him, grinning mischievously. "You were saying?"

Arthur smirked and laughed at the raven, his sapphire blue irises bouncing. "Oh, we'll see about that!"

With that, he looked down at his fire truck, making it accelerate even faster.

At this, Merlin couldn't help but start to laugh as well and continued run as fast as he could, control in hand.

~o~

The "race" they were having at the moment went on like this for about ten minutes more—and it seemed that it would have gone _forever_, despite the two flights of stairs the two had swiftly sprinted down on.

...had it not been for that _one_ person that Merlin had accidentally bumped into.

Thump.

"What in the name of Julius Caesar—"

Before long, Merlin had found himself sitting on the floor, rubbing his head gingerly before looking up to see a tall, noble-looking man brushing his leg with a discontent expression on his rigid face.

At that moment, Merlin's eyes widened upon meeting the latter's irked and awfully disgruntled gaze, and quickly began to blurt out apologies on instinct, as if he were giving an executioner numerous excuses not to chop his head off or burn him alive at the stake.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, sir! I didn't mean to bump into—"

After a while, the raven was silent when he'd been getting no replies and instead noticed him looking over _behind_ him with a quite displeased expression on his face.

At this, Merlin had sharply held his breath, then glanced over his shoulder in a daze to see Arthur staring straight into Uther's eyes with a rigid, composed countenance.

Almost instantly, the atmosphere surrounding them had, all of a sudden, grown rather...uneasy and volatile, as if all were at a serious standstill at that point.

~o~

Merlin had quickly darted his eyes towards the nobleman, worriedly exchanging glances between them.

It hadn't been more than another minute when Arthur had finally swallowed and spoke in a hoarse, even tone. "This is Merlin, sire. The maid Mrs. Emrys's son? He's here under my permission to spend the afternoon with me."

No response.

In that instant, Merlin reluctantly turned around to see the nobleman scrutinizing his stern gaze on him, and immediately, he'd raised his hand to scratch his head nervously, simpering at the latter.

"H-hello, sir. It's an honour to meet you."

But he didn't reply. Instead, the man frowned and blew a huff before making his way past the two.

"Carry on," he grumbled impatiently.

As he passed them, the raven couldn't help but gulp before looking at Arthur with intimidated, questioning eyes.

At this, Arthur let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes at the raven, taking his hand and leading him into the kitchen.

"Come here, you."

~o~

At that point, the two were now sitting at the kitchen table, helping themselves to delicious vanilla bean ice cream Arthur had managed to obtain from the fridge.

"Who _was_ that?" Merlin brought himself to ask, swallowing another spoonful's worth. "He also scared me half to death back there."

In that instant, the blonde exhaled sharply, wiping his mouth with his sleeve before putting down his ice cream. "My father," he replied in an unwavering tone.

Almost immediately, the raven started to choke on his ice cream, Arthur reaching over instinctively to pat his back.

"Goodness, Merlin, don't go and kill yourself over it. It's not like you _offended_ him by just standing there like you were some deer in headlights."

Merlin coughed and took a deep breath, then looked over at Arthur with a half-anxious expression on his face. "Does that mean he hates me now?"

The prince paused to laugh. "No—of course he doesn't, you twat."

The raven gazed at him incredulously. "What makes you say that? Judging by how he looked at me a few minutes ago, it seemed like he was thinking about dragging me to the Tower of London right then and there."

At that moment, Arthur began to laugh even louder and patted the other's shoulder. "He wasn't," the blonde chuckled. "He was just observing, that's all—just so until he'd get to know you better."

Merlin frowned and gave him a dubious look.

The prince smirked. "Don't worry. He does that with all my friends, so it's perfectly normal."

In response, the raven raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, you're the Prince of Wales, for crying out loud. How many _real _friends could you possibly have?"

Instantly, Arthur grew quiet all of a sudden and narrowed his eyes at the latter.

At that point, Merlin was laughing at him. But that wasn't until the blonde abruptly reached over to grab him in a chokehold, giving him a good noogie that instant.

"Oh, I can name _one._"

The nine-year-old let out a sharp cry and began to wriggle under the other's grasp. "Hey—_hey_!"

The blonde smirked mischievously, then chuckled and let go of the raven, who'd sputtered indignantly before pouting at him, his high cheekbones now distinct and well-defined.

At that moment, Arthur couldn't help but grin amusedly at the sight, then pursed his lips. "Wait—missed a spot," he added, reaching over to mess up the other's hair even more.

Merlin rolled his eyes and exhaled sharply at him. "_Thanks _a lot_,_" he drawled sarcastically, finally reaching up to take the other's hand off his head.

In that instant, the Prince gazed playfully into the raven's eyes, then lowered his head and let out a sigh.

"So, then...how much time do we have left?"

Silence.

Then Merlin closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning to peer over at the wall clock on the other side of the room. "Well...Mum's probably going to be done with her shift in a few hours, so..."

But midway through his sentence, he'd paused abruptly as soon as Arthur had quickly raised his head and froze when all of a sudden the sound of brisk, running footsteps in the hall could be heard from a short distance, getting louder and louder as the minutes passed—as if the source itself were almost rushing _towards_ them that instant.

Before the raven could say anything more, a female voice had echoed through the corridors.

"ARTHUR!" it shrieked demandingly.

At that moment, he raised an eyebrow, glancing back to see the blonde exhale sharply and bury his face in his palms.

"Oh,_ sod_..." he'd heard the latter mutter under his breath. "She's _here._"

Merlin frowned in confusion, facing him with an inquisitive expression on his face. "Who's _she_?"

Arthur sighed, then took his hand, swiftly getting out of his seat to drag him out of the kitchen. "The witch," he whispered, stepping out into the hall. "Let's go before she casts curses on us and takes us to her lair."

But the raven only stared at the blonde with utter perplexity. "_Witch_?" he asked bewilderedly. "What do you mean, witch—"

"THERE YOU ARE!"

Immediately the two had stopped in their tracks. Then after a while, they'd cringed slightly before reluctantly bringing themselves to turn around and see a short, green-eyed little girl with an alabaster complexion and long, dark brown hair standing in the middle of the threshold behind them, scrutinizing a quite intimidating gaze on both boys with slender arms crossed over her chest in impatience.

She couldn't have been more than about Molly's age, but that instant, Merlin also couldn't help but gulp upon meeting her intent stare, while Arthur had just put his hand on his forehead, closing his eyes before letting out an exasperated sigh.

~o~

Later on before the two had known it, they'd been dragged upstairs into the girl's room to join her in one of her extravagant—or rather infamous, in Arthur's perspective—tea parties with numerous stuffed animals and porcelain dolls surrounding them at a small table.

At that moment, the prince had let out an aggravated groan, leaning back on his bean bag chair with his hands over his face and exhaling sharply.

But the girl had merely ignored his implied protest, keeping her gaze still on the blue-eyed raven sitting across from her. For a minute, her expression was curious as she eagerly watched him lower his eyes tentatively to sip his "tea" in silence. Then she smiled and glanced down at her hands, folded primly on her lap.

"So...who's your new friend?" the brunette asked with a small laugh. "I don't believe we've met."

At that moment, Merlin cleared his throat, quickly putting his cup down. "Uh...Merlin. Merlin Emrys, my lady," he replied humbly.

Arthur rolled his eyes that instant, as she'd begun to giggle. "He's sweet..."

The raven smiled shyly.

The blonde sighed, darting his eyes at him. "You really don't have to address her like that, you know. She's just my cousin, for crying out loud—"

"Oh, let him!" the green-eyed girl cut in, waving the latter off as she grinned contentedly at Merlin. "It makes me feel...loved. I like him already."

At that moment, Merlin's cheeks flushed a little, and Arthur did nothing but slowly shake his head at the two of them.

Soon, the brunette couldn't help but laugh lightly, then turned to tug persistently on Arthur's sleeve. "Well, what are you waiting for, you twat? Introduce me!" she demanded impatiently.

In that instant, Arthur groaned in disbelief, then stared wearily at Merlin before exhaling sharply and hand-gesturing to his adorable younger cousin.

"Her Grace and _Cuteness_," the blonde began unenthusiastically with indifferent eyes. "Morgana le Fay, Duchess of Edinburgh and all that is—"

"LOUDER!" the brunette hissed.

At that moment, Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes again. "_Fluff and rainbows..._" he finished flatly.

Merlin chuckled, wiping his mouth with his wrist after taking yet another sip of his "tea," which had actually been cold apple juice made from concentrate.

Morgana giggled, leaning back against her chair to look at the raven again. "That's quite all right—it's a pleasure to meet you either way, _Merlin_," she spoke with a smile. "Can I get you some more tea?" she asked with an expectant expression on her face.

At this, he shrank back slightly at her offer. "Er...I'm fine, thanks—"

"Nonsense!" the Duchess of Edinburgh cut in abruptly, taking Merlin's cup and leaving the room to refill it.

When all was finally silent again, Arthur took a deep breath and put his hand over his eyes.

"Does she visit often?" Merlin laughed.

"She's been living here since the day we moved in, thank you very much," the prince groaned.

That instant, the raven tilted his head curiously. "But didn't you say that she was your cousin—"

Arthur sighed. "Father is very fond of Uncle," he answered bleakly. "Which is why every summer, they _always _come along with us on vacations."

Merlin chuckled. "I see...and you haven't gotten used to her yet?"

"Not in a lifetime," he grumbled with another sharp exhale. "She's almost like the little sister I'd wish I'd never have."

Soon, the door had creaked open again, and Morgana could be seen walking back through the threshold in her majestic purple gown, with a newly refilled cup of "tea" in hand. "Here you go!" she'd exclaimed gleefully, stretching her arm out to give it to the raven.

Merlin had grinned genuinely at the latter, gratefully taking the tea from her and leaning back on the baby blue bean bag chair that he was sitting on.

At that moment, the brunette smiled at him, moving over to grab one of her stuffed animals before taking her own seat.

~o~

It hadn't been more than a short while until Morgana had finally let out an exasperated sigh and darted her eyes towards Arthur.

"Cousin..." she whined at the blonde, hugging her teddy bear. "I'm bored. Play 'Little Prince' with me?" she asked timidly.

"_No,_" Arthur replied curtly, keeping his hand to his forehead. "You've already held _me_ here against my will for almost half an hour straight—what more could you possibly want?"

Not that The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery _wasn't _his all-time favourite book to read...but eh—it _was _Morgana.

At this, she had pouted at him before turning to look expectantly at Merlin. "Fine, then. I'm sure _Merlin_ wants to play..."

That instant, Merlin took another sip of tea and courteously put down his half-empty cup, looking up at her with curious eyes. "Er...all right, I guess. Just—how do you play?"

It was silent for a moment.

In just seconds, the brunette and blonde had stiffened where they were, eyes wide and mouths dropped open in incredulity while he had looked back at the two of them with a merely oblivious expression on his face.

"What?" he'd asked, shrugging once at both.

There was a pause.

Arthur pursed his lips, then opened his mouth to speak carefully. "Merlin...don't tell me you've never heard of TheLittlePrince before."

At this, the nine-year-old had frowned, slowly shaking his head at the latter.

Morgana mused that instant, trying to consider the other's response. "Haven't you read it at the very least? With your mum when you were little?"

Merlin shook his head again. "No—I haven't," he replied in an honest tone, shrugging his shoulders. "To tell you the truth...I don't even know how to read yet."

In that instant, Arthur's eyes had bulged with disbelief. "_What?_"

"Haven't you gone to school?" Morgana asked eagerly, staring at him with hopeful eyes.

But the raven only frowned and shook his head again. "Mum couldn't afford it," he murmured sadly.

Another minute's silence.

And only then did the blonde's eyes soften as he'd come to realise and understand for the first time...the earliest glimpse of a reality his friend had and would _always_ come to face every day of his impoverished life—the _privileges_ he'd had now that the other would never get and become so painfully deprived of...

At that moment, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Edinburgh turned to look at each other inquisitively, then back at Merlin, who'd returned their gazes with perplexity.

Then it hadn't been until after a while when Morgana had gotten up from her seat all of a sudden, grabbing the nine-year-old's hand and yanking him up to his feet.

"That settles it," the brunette had spoken in a firm, confident voice as she began to lead him away. "This calls for rather _desperate_ measures—you're coming with me this instant."

Almost immediately, the raven's mouth dropped open in surprise as he had instantaneously found himself being dragged towards the doorway by the little girl. At this, his breath had hitched as he apprehensively glanced back at Arthur with flustered, inquisitive eyes, only to see the condescending blonde smirk mischievously at him, making a curt signal in front of his neck with his hand that noted him clearly to shut up that minute.

And with that, Merlin had sighed in defeat as he was forcibly taken down into the corridor.

Morgana to the rescue.

~o~

That afternoon, it was almost a wonder to see that the young raven had spent the rest of his evening in the duchess's room, constantly listening to her as she persistently ranted on about the alphabet, repeatedly showing him countless pictures of animals to him from an enormous variety of colouring books.

It was as if he was being treated as a _flunk-out student, _for goodness sake—and Morgana had instantly transformed into the most skilled, erudite tutor in the world, dressed in a quite flamboyant pixie princess outfit—wings included. Not to mention the fact that how Merlin had often began to question himself soon after whether he was still awake or not, as he'd begun to picture himself in some messed-up fairy tale of some sort.

And while all this was happening, Arthur himself had just sat there in the background, amusedly watching the whole thing as it was happening that instant.

Before long, Merlin had finally brought himself to glance back at him for a minute with mock-intimidated eyes, mouthing out the words, "Help me" in wide, horrified eyes.

But then all of a sudden Morgana had walked over with her sparkling magic wand, snapping it swiftly on the tabletop enough to make the raven jump in his seat.

"Keep writing!" the young duchess commanded stridently. "Your M's look like _N's, _for goodness sake!"

At that moment, the blonde had stifled a chuckle from behind, while Merlin sighed and picks up his pencil again to write.

Soon enough, it came to a point where Arthur had walked over to sit next to the raven and smirked as he watched him struggle to write his whole name in neat, refined manuscript.

"Need some help?" the prince chuckled as the other's hand had begun to tremble slightly of writer's cramp.

Merlin winced, briefly darting his eyes at him. "Write my name for me?" he asked in a frantic, timid tone.

Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes playfully at the raven, then courteously took the pencil and began to write effortlessly in the notebook, Merlin eyeing him from his seat.

But as soon as the blonde had finished, he'd leaned over his shoulder to peer at the blank page, only to see the word "Gandalf" written in neat handwriting on the top right corner of the paper.

In that instant, Merlin had frowned glancing up to see Arthur grinning wryly at him.

"Very funny," he sighed sarcastically.

The prince chuckled.

~o~

Later on, it had _indeed_ reached a limit where Morgana had finally called it quits, skipping over to her tiny bookshelf to take out her children's copy of TheLittlePrince—in _pop-up_ version, handing it to Merlin and eagerly plopping down on the bed beside him.

And in the time that passed, both Arthur and Morgana had explained to the latter the point of the game "Little Prince," how each of them would take turns reading excerpts from the story itself and at the same time assuming different roles of various characters on the way, which had been the main reason why Morgana had often referred to it as "play" instead of "read" in her own terms.

"I'll be the Fox when his part comes around," the young duchess had announced proudly with a smile. "He's my favourite character of the whole story."

Merlin smiled and nodded once, looking back at her with a hopeful gleam in his shining blue eyes. "All right," he replied, opening the book to the first page.

But just before the reading had begun, he paused for a minute to curiously glance up at the other two beside him. "Who am _I _going to be, then?" the raven asked eagerly, shifting his gaze between both the blonde and brunette.

At this, Morgana had thought briefly, then glanced back at his older cousin.

"Hm. That's a good question—because usually Arthur and I would take on random roles for the rest of the characters along the way, since it'd be just the two of us," she replied musingly. "But now that there are three, I guess I'd want _you _to take one of the bigger parts so you can get more practice and the most important pieces of the story since you haven't read this yet."

The duchess frowned as she pondered for a second, putting a finger over her mouth. "Huh..." It hadn't been more than a minute when she'd snapped her fingers upon reaching an idea and she'd turned to look at Merlin again with her face lit up with excitement.

"I know—you can be the Little Prince himself!" she beamed gleefully. "You'd be more than _perfect _for his role!"

In that instant, Arthur's face grew discontent, and he'd frowned upon hearing his cousin's declaration. "But _I'm _the Prince," he'd remarked in protest, frowning at her with disdain.

"And now you're not," Morgana replied unwaveringly at him. "Now you're that narrator pilot whose plane crashed in the Sahara desert_, _since one: you read _so_ well, and two: haven't you been telling me for days now how much you've wanted to become a pilot someday? Well, there you are. Besides," she grinned cunningly, lightly jabbing a finger flat on his chest. "You're _already _the Prince in real life," she laughed.

At this, the blonde's expression became sheepish for just a moment, then he'd reached over to grab the book from Merlin, who'd chuckled softly at the latter's reaction.

Almost immediately, Arthur's breath had hitched slightly upon seeing the genuine smile that had appeared on his friend's face at that moment, but before long, he'd cleared his throat and managed to compose himself with a warm smile, glancing down to begin reading the fine text on the page in front of him.

"_Once when I was six years old I saw a magnificent picture in a book..."_

~o~

They'd done nothing more but read for the next hour, taking turns per page as the story swept the three of them away into a faraway land of imagination...where even for just a brief moment, there had been no worries or things to complain about—the pure joy of getting caught into the adventure of the Little Prince himself.

And pretty soon, night-time had already fallen, and at the same time, Morgana could be seen nodding off for a second, all tuckered out from the fun they'd had just earlier that afternoon.

Even Arthur and Merlin had been exhausted as well, their eyelids dropping slightly every now and then, yawns filling the room.

The raven sighed as Morgana insisted him to take on her role for her, tired as she was, and he had shaken his head before reading the Fox's next quote in a slow, drowsy tone.

"_It is...on-ly with the he-art that one can see right-ly...what is eh...ehh-sennn-tial is in-vis-uhh-ble to the eye..."_

At that moment, he'd stopped abruptly when the blonde beside him had suddenly raised his head to look at him with a curious, longing stare.

Then the door had opened that instant, with his mother standing by the threshold, her eyes softening as she watched the children settled by the bed, Morgana half-asleep next to her son.

"Merlin—time to go home, love," Hunith had called in a gentle voice.

In that instant, the raven yawned, then nodded once, closing the book and carefully placing down on the side before standing up on his feet.

As he rose up from the bed, Morgana had stirred, rubbed her eyes, and sighed. "Come back to-mor-row to finish the book, then?" she asked drowsily.

At that moment, Merlin chuckled, gingerly taking her hand into his. "Of course, my lady."

She smiled slightly, then yawned.

The raven took a deep breath, getting up from the bed to come along with his mother.

But before he'd noticed that minute, Arthur had already gotten up and rushed after Merlin.

"Wait—hold on a second," he spoke unwaveringly. Then he'd paused for a moment before looking up at his friend's mother and pursed his lips, eyes innocent.

"I just need to give him something," the blonde clarified in a respectful tone. "Could he come with me for a few minutes?"

At this, Hunith smiled, briefly exchanging glances between her son and the Prince. "Of course, dear," she replied cordially.

In that instant, Arthur grinned back at her, then took Merlin's hand and began leading him downstairs into the kitchen.

~o~

Merlin watched curiously as Arthur reached above the counter to grab a plastic bag filled with treats before he'd turned around to give it to him.

"Here's something for later," the blonde spoke amicably, handing the little blue gift to the raven.

At that moment, Merlin had beamed at him in delight, eagerly taking it from his hands. "Wow...thanks, Arthur. Molly and the others will probably like these for sure."

At this, the Prince gave a warm smile, his eyes glimmering as he gazed at the latter's euphoric demeanour. "No problem," he'd replied proudly. "Hopefully they liked that last batch of cookies from the other day as well."

The raven chuckled, his sapphire irises almost bouncing. "Oh, they most certainly did—which reminds me: they actually wanted me to thank you very much for the sweets and that you should come over and play with them again sometime."

The blonde laughed back, his eyes still on the other's grinning face. "Really? Well, that's a promise to keep then."

Merlin grinned.

After a moment, Arthur finally sighed, then grew silent for a minute as he watched the pure delight that lit up the other's face at that moment.

"...you know...you're very lucky to have so many siblings that love you and look up to you, Merlin," he'd finally spoken after another minute's worth of observation.

In that instant, the nine-year-old paused, looking back at him with a confused but curious expression on his face. "Really? Er...why's that?"

In response, the prince had pursed his lips, briefly turning away from the latter.

"Well..._I_ don't have any brothers or sisters to share my toys with, so...it gets kind of lonely sometimes," he murmured, his countenance a bit sad.

At this, the raven stiffened, eyes soft but surprised. "Arthur..." he began in a hushed tone.

No response.

Merlin shifted his gaze for a moment, then darted his eyes back towards Arthur. "What are you talking about?" he continued, lightly prodding the blonde with his elbow with a playful look on his face. "Why...you're the _Prince of Wales, _for heaven's sake. You don't need your own siblings to give praise to you every now and then...you've already got all of England—the rest of the world, even. What more could you ask for?"

In that instant, the Pendragon sighed, slightly lowering his head. "That's exactly it," he replied sullenly. "It's not the same. No one there recognises me for who I really am as a person—just the next heir to the throne that the King will end up passing down one day...a mere figurehead to England's government, like my own father is right now."

The raven winced, then put his hand on the latter's shoulder. "Well, you've always got me and Morgana..." he added with a small but hopeful smile.

At this, Arthur frowned, immediately putting his hand to his forehead and letting out a dissatisfied groan as his cousin's name had reached his ears.

In that instant, Merlin laughed, patting the blonde's arm. Then he let out a small sigh, gazing up at the window to look up at the stars that illuminated the night sky outside.

"...it's just like the little prince and the roses again," the raven chuckled.

At that moment, Arthur stiffened, raising his head up to look at him with wide eyes.

Merlin had nodded once to the Pendragon, then glanced down at his feet on the floor. "Huh. You could say that you could have all the friends in the world...just like how a man could grow as many roses as he wants to..." He paused, then shifted his gaze towards the prince. "But to me—well, I guess it's true that no matter how you go about it, it'll always be the ones you truly cared about in the end..."

Arthur held his breath.

At this, the raven had grinned. "I mean...it's not like I don't already think of you as a brother, too. You've probably been the one person I've actually spent the most time with in _one _day."

In that instant, the blonde chuckled softly, raising his head to smile at him. "...thanks, Merlin," he murmured, reaching over to carefully take his finger in his palm once more.

At that moment, Merlin beamed at the prince, a genuine expression on his face.

Arthur's eyes softened.

But before they knew it, Hunith's kind voice could already be heard, emanating from the front door.

"Merlin! Time to go, love!"

In that instant, the raven had sighed, raising his head to look at Arthur longingly. "Bye," he murmured just above a hushed whisper at the blonde.

In response, the young prince couldn't help but smile with sad eyes before finally letting go of his best friend's hand to lead him back out into the hallway.

"Bye," he replied in a soft tone, looking after the latter as he had made his way down the other end of the corridor.

~o~

Only then did I begin to understand for the first time...just what that Fox from the storybook had really meant about seeing what's important from the heart instead of looking at it with your own eyes like most people usually do.

I watched as Merlin reunited with his mother again and as he waved to the servant holding the door for them before they'd stepped out into the darkness of the night.

Though at that moment, I couldn't help but feel a little sad inside. It was always depressing to see a friend go, even if you do know that you'll see him again the next day.

But then again...I had absolutely no idea what tomorrow had in store for either of us. All I had recognised at that point was that Merlin Emrys was truly my best friend from that day forth, and nothing in the world could possibly change that.

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **1, 2, 3, 4 by The Plain White T's (also don't own XD)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Review? ^_^";_

The next update will be up as soon as possible—I promise you guys that. X"D And the story of The Little Prince will definitely play a big part in the next chapter to come as well. ~wO

In addition to that, Arthur and Merlin will be spending lots more time with each other and only begin to learn even more about each other's pasts as this story goes on. (ICE-BREAKER! XD and a memory lapse, perhaps? ;D)

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter~ ^_^

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.


	5. Chapter 5: The Green Rose

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 5: The Green Rose**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO

**Music on My Mind~ **Secret Garden by MADOKA (don't own—yes, it's the song for Latios and Latias in that movie "Pokemon Heroes." Thought it fit here too, though. XD)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

This chapter ended up a lot longer than it was supposed to be...but I guess that's ok...? XD Oh well—haven't updated in a while anyway. =w="; Blame the viruses that somehow infected my computer since then. It's getting fixed though, so I'm using a different one. :P

Otherwise, not much to say right now, but enjoy~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

That night, Merlin had gone home, exhausted from all the fun he'd had with his new friends earlier that day, but he had yet to run out of words as he'd told his mother in immense detail of the adventure he'd had that evening with Arthur and Morgana—from playing with shiny, remote-control cars to learning how to read and write for the first time...

"It was wonderful, Mother!" the raven had exclaimed, beaming at Hunith that instant.

At that moment, Mrs. Emrys had chuckled softly as she opened the front door to their home, leaving her eldest son to greet the rest of his brothers and sisters, who had been eagerly waiting for his return.

"Brother! Brother!" they'd begun to cry with delight, as they gathered around him to give him their warm embraces.

But Hunith had smiled upon seeing this, and let out a sigh, gesturing to the stairwell. "Time for bed, little ones—it's way past your bedtime. Big Brother can tell you all about his day tomorrow morning when breakfast comes around," she laughed.

In that instant, the children's faces fell, a few of them pouting slightly. "Aww..."

With that, she couldn't help but chuckle again before finally leading them up the stairs to their bedrooms, glancing back at Merlin with a distinct look that signalled him to get ready for bed, too.

At that moment, the raven grinned at his mother, then waited until they were out of sight before he'd run up to his own room.

~o~

However, for some reason Merlin couldn't sleep that night, for he'd been too busy thinking about Arthur in the back of his mind, wondering curiously what they'd do together the next day.

And so he lay there, staring aimlessly at the ceiling, smiling as the events of that evening reoccurred to him once more. Then he let out a sigh and closed his eyes, turning to pull the sheets over his shoulder before rolling over on his side.

_Today was just..._amazing, he'd thought quietly to himself before finally drifting off into slumber.

But it hadn't been more than a second when he'd suddenly heard a familiar chuckle coming from his window and immediately got up to none other than Kilgarrah perched patiently on the windowsill.

"Well, well," the emerald reptile had begun with a shrewd, interested grin. "_Somebody_ here looks like they rather enjoyed themselves today...was it quite life-changing to you, boy?"

Merlin laughed in response, shuffling closer to the big lizard next to him. "Well, I'd definitely say it was."

At this, Kilgarrah grinned, his amber eyes glimmering with amusement. "I see...so does that mean that you're finally getting along well with the Once and Future King-to-be?"

The raven beamed back and nodded once. "Yeah—I guess I am," he replied contentedly, smiling at him. "I mean...Arthur wasn't as bad as I thought he was, really—but that was _after _I actually got to know him."

In that instant, the great reptile laughed and nodded his head in approval. "That's rather pleasant to hear. You have done well, Merlin."

The nine-year-old chuckled.

Kilgarrah smirked, then looked at the latter with wise eyes. "And now that the two of you have befriended each other for the best, all that will remain now is for you to teach the young prince, little by little, how to handle the important decisions that he will face in the future when he is king and you ultimately become his personal adviser."

In that instant, the raven held his breath and stared back at the reptile with wide eyes. "_What?" _

His forehead wrinkled in incredulity. "You'rekidding_. Now _what do you mean by 'important decisions'? Isn't being at his side already enough for you?"

The green lizard raised an eyebrow. "Well, Merlin—does there seem to be a problem?"

The raven's cheeks flushed slightly, his expression flustered with disbelief. "You can't expect someone like me to teach him how to be a king, just like that! I'm only _nine years old, _for goodness sake!"

At that moment, the reptile grinned amusedly, looking at Merlin with a clever expression on his face. "Young warlock, calm yourself. This particular goal should not be _that_ difficult to achieve that it is out of reach."

Merlin exhaled sharply and gazed intently at Kilgarrah. "Arthur is my _best_ _friend._ I already care for him that much as it is!"

At this, Kilgarrah's golden eyes only shimmered more with curiosity.

In just seconds, the raven recoiled from the last statement he'd said, putting his hand over his mouth in disbelief as he had not meant to say those words out loud.

"Wait—I..." he began to mutter dazedly.

In that instant, the green reptile laughed heartily at him, then gave a big sigh. "Merlin," he finally spoke, in a softer, milder tone.

The latter was silent.

Kilgarrah closed his eyes and nodded once. "I see. Your attachment to the Pendragon has indeed grown stronger compared to our last encounter. That proves already just how powerful the two of you will be together in the near future when it is your time," he murmured quietly. "But all of that will not be fulfilled, that is if Arthur cannot even understand the very people he will lead."

At that moment, Merlin stirred and looked up at the lizard with innocent eyes. "What in the world do you mean by that? Have you _seen_ him charm my mother and sisters every time he comes to my house?"

The reptile sighed and opened his eyes to look at the raven with a serious expression on his face. "Looks aren't always everything, Merlin. Inside is what matters the most. You should have experienced that at least once when you were with the Prince himself."

At this, the nine-year-old bit his lip, then winced as he remembered the genuine conversation they'd had just earlier that night before parting ways. "Well, I..."

Kilgarrah paused before speaking again. "It is a wonder and a privilege that Arthur is able to communicate with you so freely, since he, in short, cannot do such things with any of those outside of his own personal bubble, especially his father and his acquaintances. Consider this the very reason why you must be the one to find a way to teach him how to do the same with his people and help him to feel comfortable around them as he is now able to do so easily with you," he finished prominently.

In that instant, Merlin winced and lowered his head, puzzled as to how he would be able to accomplish such a task. "But..." he responded in a hushed whisper. "...but what can _I_ do?" He paused, pursing his lips. "I'm not as charming as he is...and I'm terrible when I try to start conversations with people I don't even know—even if it's _just_ small, meaningless banter. I mean...it's already bad enough that everyone I actually _do _talk to is out of town right now..."

At that moment, Kilgarrah grinned and intensified his gaze on the raven. "But you need not worry about that, young warlock. After all, is it not true that you will have the Prince of Wales, an already popular figure himself, at your disposal every step of the way, from the moment the next crack of dawn arrives?"

The raven's eyes widened inquisitively.

But the lizard had only gone on to chuckle. "I am definitely sure to the utmost that in _your_ near future, that numerous opportunities shall be given to you soon—_very_ soon," he laughed.

And with that said, Kilgarrah had suddenly disappeared from the windowsill, fading into the shadows of the night as mysteriously as he had done before.

At this, Merlin did nothing but raise an eyebrow, as it was futile to ask any more questions. He let out a sigh before laying back in his bed and instead turned over and over in his mind the wise but unfathomable words the great reptile had spoken to him.

_I just wonder how all of this will end... _the raven pondered to himself flatly before closing his eyes.

_Arthur..._

~o~

The next morning, Merlin had found himself waking up much earlier than usual, for the conversation he'd had with Kilgarrah had never ceased to leave his mind. More importantly, he could—or _would _not, settle for the memory to slip away, as there had been important details the green lizard had mentioned to him that he knew himself should not be forgotten.

Though the last few words that had been said that night were still quite an enigma...

The raven groaned and sat up in his bed, then left to meet his brothers and sisters downstairs.

~o~

Everyone was sitting together at the kitchen table, as Hunith's shift had been moved to a later time. They had been eating breakfast that dawn, leftovers salvaged from the previous day.

Merlin sighed as he made his way down the last step and walked over to take his seat next to Molly, listening to the small conversations his younger siblings were having with each other.

"Hahaha—Maddie! That's not how you eat your bread!"

In that instant, the raven couldn't help but chuckle as he dug into the plate in front of him to grab his own piece of toast.

~o~

It wasn't until after a while when Molly had finally tapped him on the shoulder, breaking him away from his train of thought.

"Something bothering you, Brother?" the brunette had asked kindly, in her sweet but concerned tone.

There was a pause.

At that moment, the raven let out a small exhale before looking back at his younger sister with a reassuring smile. "I'm fine," he replied calmly.

Molly looked at him for a minute, then nodded once and shifted her gaze back to her empty plate before getting up from her seat to bring it over to the kitchen sink.

As soon as her back was turned, Merlin let out a sigh and lowered his head slightly to close his eyes, relieved that she had not seen through his mask of emotion.

After all, she _had _been the smartest of them all and the most understanding, to top it off...but still. It was a risk to let her know about what was _really _on his mind that instant...more so, about what was going to be in store for him alone...

For a minute, the clamouring of his younger siblings had gradually lowered down to soft murmuring in his mind, as he continued to turn over his situation over and over again in his head—of how he would have to get Arthur to somehow _connect _with his people in the outside world in addition to his responsibility to literally _help _him...and when the "opportunity" would arrive, as Kilgarrah had so shrewdly foretold.

...but why in the world did he have to be so vague all the time?

The raven slowly shook his head, then raised his arm to grab his piece of toast and took a small bite out of it. At that moment, it would have seemed like he would have been sitting in that position forever.

Though that hadn't been until all of a sudden when he'd heard Diana's innocent voice from out of the blue, alone from across the table, and slightly stirred as he snapped back to reality, managing to overhear the conversation his younger sister was presently having with their beloved mother that instant.

"Mummy! Mummy, please! Could we go outside to-day?" the little one spoke sweetly that instant, beaming up at Hunith with twinkling eyes.

At that moment, Merlin raised his head from the kitchen table to watch his mother chuckle and pat his sister's head.

"Why of course you can, Diana. Isn't the backyard already where you and Annie play hide-and-seek all the time?"

In that instant, the little brunette giggled, her cheeks flushing slightly. "No! Mum, I don't mean _that _outside!"

Hunith smiled, raising an eyebrow, before reaching her arm over the latter's shoulder to pick up her empty plate. "Oh? Then where, my dear one?" she responded with a warm expression on her face.

That moment, Annie started to laugh herself, cutting in with a voice just as gleeful as her sister's. "She wants to take a stroll through town, Mummy! I want to go with her, too!"

In that instant, Merlin watched as his mother let out a small laugh, stroking her daughter's hair lovingly. "Is that so?" she replied amusedly, shifting her gaze from one sister to the next. "But why go there today, of all places and times, darlings? Is something special going on in town?"

Diana giggled and reached into her pocket in response, pulling out and unfolding what looked like a slightly wrinkled poster from one of the fences outside. "Of course there is!" she beamed, eagerly handing Hunith the piece of paper in her hand.

With that, Mrs. Emrys sighed, taking the poster from the latter's small hand, and peered down to read what it said.

At the same time, Annie started to giggle again, excitedly waving her hands in the air. "There's a festival going on later this evening, Mummy! They're already setting up for it right now!"

Suddenly, Merlin noticed Molly stiffen slightly by the sink, her face blank and morose for a second. The raven stared curiously at the brunette, then turned back to see his mother nod interestedly.

"Ah...the _Festival of the Green Rose_, is it?" Hunith murmured rhetorically.

But still his sisters answered cheerfully. "Uh-huh!" they replied in unison.

In that instant, Molly's fingers had clenched a bit, then relaxed soon after that before she'd managed to let out a small sigh.

Their mother had pondered carefully on the matter before glancing up to look at her children. "I see—so it's already that time of year...the days do go by quickly."

At that moment, her eldest son knotted his eyebrows together in contemplation, then nodded once to himself as he gradually began to understand that this had obviously been the opportunity that Kilgarrah had spoken of that previous night.

He listened as his sisters and even his brothers proceeded to their mother with such bright, innocent faces.

"Can we go, Mum?" Diana asked, Annie shifting close up next to her with puppy-dog eyes. "PLEEEAAASSSEEE?"

"Well..." Hunith began in a quite motherly tone.

But that was when everyone else had begun to join in.

"Can I come, too?" another had asked that instant.

"What about me?"

Then you had little Caleb.

"Me too! I _really _wanna go!" one giggled.

Helen.

Pretty soon, everyone but Merlin and Molly had gathered around their loving mother with imploring expressions on their faces, continuing to plead earnestly to her.

"PLEASE?" they beseeched her.

At that point, Hunith couldn't help but chuckle at her children, then let out a sigh and looked at them with a firm but fair and decisive face.

"All right, all right," she replied that instant, her voice warm. But then she paused for a second to take a deep breath. "But on one condition, little ones," she added with a smile.

"What's that?" Annie asked, staring expectantly at her mother.

With that, Hunith had laughed, then shifted her gaze over towards her eldest son, seated across the table with his arms folded below his chin.

"If Big Brother Merlin decides to come along with you, then you can _all_ go to the Festival of the Green Rose," she added, grinning proudly.

Immediately, the raven gulped as all eyes now began to rest imploringly on him, those guilt-free puppy-dog stares coming from each and every one of them.

"Er...me?" he managed to utter that instant, darting his eyes from one sibling to the next.

"Well..."

~o~

To have been very truthful in that situation, it hadn't been like Merlin didn't _want _to go to the Festival of the Green Rose later that evening to have fun with his younger siblings. After all, he had been more than excited for the certain occasion to finally arrive.

After all, the story of the Green Rose itself had indeed been very precious to the raven, as it had been for each and every one of his brothers and sisters, and had meant the world to him for years, though he could just vaguely remember why. Either way, he really _did _want to go that afternoon, despite how limited they were in money to buy snacks and tickets for rides in the town square.

However...there had only been one other factor that hindered his immediate agreement to the matter—and that was none other than the Prince of Wales himself.

Would Arthur concur to come along with the lot of them into a crowded area that would probably consist of maybe...a hundred other people that they didn't even know? Or better yet...would his own siblings, Molly and the others, want him to?

In general, they probably would—Arthur was already that close to them anyway. But the problem was if the blonde himself didn't agree.

What if he _wasn't_ comfortable with being surrounded by people he didn'tknow, just like Kilgarrah had said? And what if he was left with no other choice but to leave him stranded at his own house, alone with no one else to play with than Morgana?

Arthur certainly wouldn't be too pleased with him on that, although Morgana, knowing how happy-go-lucky and sociable she was, would probably want to go to the festival with them as well...

_Good heavens, _Merlin thought to himself before sighing and putting his head down.

At that moment, Molly had walked over and calmly put her hand on his shoulder. "Come now, Merlin, at least give them this one..."

No response.

Then finally, Hunith spoke again before the raven raised his head up from the table to listen.

"Why, you could even bring Arthur along with you, too. Now wouldn't that be a nice idea?"

In that instant, Merlin's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in disbelief. "I beg your pardon, Mother? Bring _him _to a festival_? _But he's not—"

"I think that's a great idea, Mum," Molly cut in with a smile, glancing briefly at her older brother. "That way, we'll all be there this evening, and we won't have to worry about leaving anyone behind..." she went on, lightly prodding Merlin from beside.

"I'm sure he'd love it, too," Hunith added, staring directly at Merlin with a grin. "After all, the last time I checked, it _is _his first visit here in Camelot, since the King _just _decided to bring his family along for this summer. And that way, the two of you would still get to spend more time together."

At that moment, the raven opened his mouth to speak, his cheeks flushing a slight pink. "Well, I—" he paused for a minute before continuing, then sighed. "...all right. I'll do it," he replied humbly before getting up from his seat to leave the room. "But it's only if he says yes, so I'll ask him as soon as I get dressed."

"Make sure he does say yes!" Diana cried gleefully, her siblings agreeing in unison.

With that, Merlin let out a sharp exhale and made his way up the steps.

_Don't push it, _he replied in his mind.

~o~

_(That evening...)_

"NO. Absolutely _not,_" Arthur cut in, just after the raven had finished his question.

In that instant, Merlin sputtered with a flustered expression, looking back at the blonde with eyes of disbelief. "But why?" he asked immediately.

At that moment, the Prince sighed, turning his back to the latter with his arms crossed over his chest. "Because. I don't wantto," he replied in a firm, stubborn tone. "I refuse."

Morgana's eyes had widened that minute, the Duchess following relentlessly after him. "But cousin! It'll be fun!" she had whined, tugging on his red sleeve. "There's no need for you to be such a killjoy!"

"I would if there weren't that many people," Arthur responded curtly. "For all _we_ know, some of Father's friends could be out there as well, observing us while incognito. It's too risky—you _know _that," he finished, slowly shaking his head.

In that instant, Morgana pouted, scowling at the older blonde before finally backing away from him. "You are _so _unfair!" she huffed, before leaning over to sit down on one of the chairs beside them.

Before long, Merlin had put his hand to his forehead and sighed, closing his eyes. _As expected from His Royal Prat-ness... _he thought hopelessly at that moment. But then he opened his eyes again and began to approach Arthur from behind, his face just inches from the back of his rigid shoulder.

After another long minute's worth of silence, he lowered his eyes almost shyly before bringing himself to shift his left arm over slightly just enough to grab the blonde's finger.

In that instant, he'd noticed the Prince's breath still for just a moment, and then went on to speak just above a hushed murmur.

"All right...I know what you're thinking," the raven began in a soft whisper, holding the other's finger gingerly. "And I understand what you mean. But...who cares?"

At that moment, Arthur tensed in front of his best friend as he'd heard what he'd said that second.

But then Merlin had sighed, going to explain the rest in a calm voice. "Even though there'll probably be a whole bunch of other people out there in the town square, it'll still just be us having our own fun," he continued, with pleading eyes. "I promise."

In that instant, the blonde met the other's gaze, his eyes softening as well as he listened.

Likewise, the raven chuckled softly, beaming at the latter. "Look. I'm not telling you to act all fake and plastic out there in the town square like with the forced impressions you say you always have to pull around your father's friends," he laughed lightly. "I'm just saying that this is _your_ life, and you shouldn't just let everyone else butt into your priorities and try to go ruin your fun. I mean...you _are _going to rule over them someday—"

He stopped mid-sentence immediately after Arthur's gaze had suddenly grown intent, then chuckled nervously and went on in a smoother tone.

"Here's what I'm trying to get at here, so hear me out," he sighed. "They may be expecting the son of the mighty Uther Pendragon to take hold of the throne someday as the responsible Once and Future King of Wales, but...half of them probably don't even know who you even look like or _are _as a person now, am I right?"

"Merlin's got a point," Morgana called from the back with a sly smile on her face.

At that moment, the raven briefly glanced over his shoulder to return her grin for her genuine support, then turned back to face his troubled best friend.

"Come on. Relax _outside _of your house for once—and I don't mean running away from your destiny, like you did the first time around you met me," Merlin chuckled.

In that instant, the blonde smirked, lightly elbowing the young raven. "_Shut up._"

Merlin laughed in response. "Anyway—there's the rest of what I have to say. No one out there really knows you as a _person..._you said that yourself. So why not take this chance to start small and get to know at least _some _people here in Camelot?"

Arthur held his breath.

But Merlin only went on. "After all...this town's already pretty tiny and everyone around here might as well be family to one another..."

"Are you saying you know _everyone _around here?" the blonde cut in, amazed and dubious for a second.

At that moment, the young raven chuckled sheepishly, briefly scratching the back of his head for a minute. "No, I don't mean we're _that _close..."

Morgana couldn't help but laugh from behind.

Merlin sighed. "Look. All that I'm saying here is that we should just go outside for once later this evening with my brothers and sisters and Morgana and everyone else to have _some _fun over at this one festival that only occurs what, once every year like Christmas?" he spoke again. "If there are people there that like you, then all right—they like you. But if there are others there that hate you anyway, then fine—they hate you."

He held his breath as he watched the blonde's mouth press into a straight line on his face, then exhaled sharply and looked him in the eyes. "Nobody's perfect in this world, Arthur—not even you. I'm not even perfect myself—I'm a whole lot _less _than that, so if you're still telling me that you're not going to go out there to help me babysit my younger siblings, who have to this _hour _have been counting on you to come with them to the Festival of the Green Rose, then so help me, I don't know what else to do other than beat myself to a pulp—"

Immediately, Arthur grabbed the latter's wrists in mock concern and laughed out loud. "All right, _all right_—we wouldn't want that now, Merlin."

In that instant, the raven was silent, and the blonde lowered his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I'll go with you this afternoon," he replied just above a hushed whisper.

There was a long pause soon after that.

Then Merlin couldn't help but smile like an idiot, nodding once to Arthur with delighted eyes.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" he exclaimed quite enthusiastically.

At that, the blonde couldn't help but raise a curious eyebrow at the other's reaction.

The raven beamed once more at the prince, then opened his mouth to speak again "You won't regret it. I promise you that," he added, immediately letting go of the other hands to make his way towards the front door with well-intention in informing his siblings.

At the same time, Morgana had eagerly gotten up from her seat in glee.

But Arthur had only sighed and rolled his eyes at both of them.

"I _better_ not!" he shouted halfway across the hall as his best friend stepped out onto the front porch.

And with that, Merlin couldn't help but grin smugly before closing the door behind him.

~o~

A few hours later, they were all set and ready to go, Hunith and Ygraine personally escorting their children out onto the sidewalk and reminding them how the youngest of them needed to be in bed by curfew.

"Be careful!" Hunith had called, waving to the children as they left.

"But have fun!" Ygraine had added, waving to them as well.

In that instant, both Arthur and Merlin had met each other's gazes and started to laugh.

~o~

Within minutes, the group had made it the town square, where balloons were afloat all around and festive music was playing.

Indeed, the townspeople of Camelot had intended to make this Festival of the Green Rose the best one of them all.

Likewise Merlin looked around the square and marvelled at all the people in costume around him, along with the rides and snack stands that surrounded the lot of them as well.

Though it hadn't maybe more than ten minutes before Arthur had finally bothered to ask what these celebrations had been set up for in its mere purpose.

"So...what _is_ the Green Rose?" the blonde had questioned as they strolled past a bunch of balloons before glancing over at a man dressed in motley shooting colourful confetti into the air. "Is it supposed to be a symbol of some sort? What's it being 'celebrated' for, anyway?"

At that, Molly had finally taken that chance to look back and meet the Prince's gaze with her bright, robin's-egg-blue eyes. "Oh, there's a story behind it that makes it special. One that everyone here in Camelot knows by heart actually, since it's how this town was founded in the first place," she replied in as-a-matter-of-fact tone and smiled. "But it _is_ kind of a symbol as well..."

As his sister went on to explain the specific matter to the curious blonde, Merlin chuckled softly as Arthur's attention had all of a sudden focused so closely to the words the brunette was saying with delight, and in doing so, at the same time he couldn't help but remember the very story of the Green Rose in his head, which he had indeed known well since he was a child, and the tale had been passed on for generations in his family.

Although at first, when his mother had told it to him, he had first thought of it as no more than a myth...

And at that moment, as the raven had gradually begun to sink deep into reverie, the words coming out of his sister's mouth had echoed in the midst of his mind, almost overlapping with thoughts of his own.

~o~

"Long ago, when Camelot was just a small village, it hadn't been as peaceful and carefree like you see right now in the square," Molly began. "It was filled with nothing but war and hatred...starvation...and _disease, _which ultimately had been the worst, considering it had been the main cause of death among the people," she continued. Then she looked up at the sky and shifted her gaze back in front where the townspeople were rejoicing and having what seemed to be truly the times of their lives.

For a moment, her eyes had grown sad, and she had winced, lowering her stare briefly, before continuing in a more solemn, hushed voice. "Before the whole town had been sick, and everyone was dying because of the plague that had been spreading," the brunette had narrated. "It was tragic compared to any other crises the land had faced, considering how their ruler had been corrupt in heart and soul and nobody got along with each other, always fighting and harming each other like animals at each other's necks. For most, if one had been living along that time, it was almost as if all hope had been lost within Camelot since it had always been raining in the village and someone was always hungry or calling for help, only to be answered by nothing but cries of battle or rebukes of discontent and abuse."

There was a long pause, then her voice had grown soft for a minute.

"But then one day a pair of travellers from a land outside had arrived by horse in the midst of their adventure to the poverty-stricken land marred by all-out war—an elder hermit accompanied by his son, who had been an apprentice to his father as a future blacksmith." Molly's breath wavered slightly. "Though in reality, only he and his father had known in fact that he himself had actually been a powerful dragonlord sorcerer-in-training with important potential, stealthily keeping his magic hidden from the world until the time came for him to use it to help mankind."

The Prince's mouth twitched a little in amusement.

"It had been, perhaps, no more than a coincidence that the boy and his father had ended up in a land such as that, and they had taken their surroundings into just as good consideration as the other previous towns they had stayed in the past, settling along the outskirts of the village in a small but comfortable shack and minding their own business with somewhat of respect to the hostile villagers in the local vicinity. However, the hermit's son himself, during the day where he had continued to train outside of his home, had soon come to observe in lucid thought the corruption of the village he had been facing, what with thieves looting numerous shops and windows being broken by countless rebels out of no more than anger, soon later realising just how much Camelot had truly needed help."

"And so when the time came that the war in the village and caught on to the very area he had lived in, ultimately killing the old hermit himself in cold, tainted blood, the dragonlord apprentice had finally taken that chance to step forward bravely, confronting each and every one of the villagers with an iron fist."

"'Why must you all fight like animals!' he had cried out to them in anger, his gaze unyielding towards the same thieves whom he had caught stealing from the local shop. Then he had taken a deep breath, closing his eyes to make the atmosphere around them a bit less stressful in order to make more of a difference. After that, the apprentice had stood up straight in front of all them, stomping once on the very ground that he was standing on and continuing in a booming voice, pointing blatantly at the many things that were wrong with the town and what should be done to make it right."

"Soon, the villagers had stopped to listen to him, dropping their weapons and taking each and every one of his words into consideration, and later realised just how corrupt the place that they had once dared to call home had really become. It was a while before all had come to heed the apprentice's words, later praising him and bowing down to the shrewd aura that he had impressed upon every one of them. Huh—for a moment, it had almost even seemed that the unnecessary war that they had been having for so long would finally come to a direct end and hopefully lead to a new era of peace."

"But unfortunately, Camelot's ruler had still been corrupt and heartless, and in addition, among the townspeople that stood in the apprentice's presence to listen to the speech he had given, resided numerous of the King's subjects, who had, immediately after the young newcomer's announcement, rushed over to the throne room of the castle they lived in and disseminated every detail of the news to the villainous ruler himself. Within days, the apprentice had been arrested by the King's guards and thrown into the dungeons located underground in the castle's darkest chambers, without any food or water to provide him with at the same time."

Arthur's eyes had widened in disbelief.

Molly had let out a sigh, then went on to continue the story. "For an instant, it had seemed to the poor apprentice, for the first time in his life, that all hope had indeed been lost. And in addition to that, he had felt nothing but remorse and hatred towards the villagers of Camelot, for murdering his beloved father in broad daylight and so ignorantly allowing their sadistic ruler to come and take him away to be tortured like a mad savage trying to overthrow their King instead of as the good-hearted newcomer that they had all seen him in truth. In just days, more of the townspeople had gotten sick, and they had all blamed the apprentice for it. The fighting among them had also commenced after that, leaving the dragonlord apprentice with no choice but to have the whole town destroyed by the Great Dragon he knew himself that he had waiting hidden at his disposal. However...it had not been until a night later that he had reconsidered his decision for Camelot's fate."

The blonde's face became rigid. "What happened?"

At this, the brunette found herself looking straight into the latter's blue eyes.

"That night...he had been visited out of the blue by someone he alone had not expected—the Crown Prince of Camelot himself," she spoke.

In that instant, Arthur had swallowed deeply before taking a deep breath and exhaling sharply. "Proceed."

At that moment, Molly nodded once and went on to speak some more, clearing her throat.

"The Prince of Camelot alone had indeed been the opposite of the King. His heart was pure, and he treated everyone he knew with kind respect, including the apprentice himself—which had ultimately been the reason why he had changed his mind," the brunette continued. "For upon meeting the apprentice, the Prince had given him nothing more than his kindness, slipping him small meals every chance he could behind the King's back and even staying to talk to him when either of them were feeling lonely. After all, both had shared one thing that had only made them truly understand each other: the painful experience of their father being taken away before their very eyes."

At this, the blonde's breath had hitched before he had briefly glanced over to see his raven-haired friend gazing longingly up at the sky, his mind deep in reverie. Then he turned to listen to the brunette narrate the rest of the apprentice's story.

Molly had sighed for a moment, then continued to speak. "After a while, the prince and apprentice had become fast friends, despite their differences in class. They had helped each other whenever one of them needed it and cared for one another till the very end."

In that instant, Helen had run over to catch her older sister in an eager embrace and looked up to smile at her.

"The end?" the little one had asked.

In response, Molly had laughed, picking her up from the ground. "Yes, Helen, you silly goose. The _very _end," she replied.

That moment, the Prince had tensed up just a bit upon hearing the brunette's words. "What—did either of them die?" he asked curiously.

In that instant, Molly paused, then lowered her eyes for just a second before meeting the blonde's gaze. "No...but I should say one of them almost did," she responded in an unwavering tone. Then she continued after taking a deep breath, looking out into the crowd before them.

"You see...the King had not been the prince's father," she spoke, her tone faltering slightly. "The truth was that he had only been his uncle, older brother to the prince's father. And he had merely taken the prince into his care after his father's death, assuming the deceased King's former role only to be brainwashed and corrupted with power," Molly spat out.

"However, what the prince had never known even at that point...was how his uncle had been the one who had murdered his own father in cold blood the night he died, and that even then to that day he had been planning to get rid of him as well, so that he would be the only one to rule over Camelot," the brunette continued with a frown. "Though the apprentice had found this out himself from one of the King's guards and...tried to tell the prince about it the next day. But unfortunately..." Molly sighed.

"What happened?" Arthur asked apprehensively.

"...he didn't believe him," the brunette murmured, closing her eyes. "And what was worse, they'd gotten into a fight with each other and ended up staying away from one another's sight in the days after that. The apprentice had once again lost all hope of keeping his new friendship with the Prince of Camelot, in addition to finally getting out of that wretched dungeon once and for all. However..."

"However?" Helen cut in inquisitively.

Molly gave a small smile before putting her little sister down to rejoin her with the others. She sighed. "However...it did eventually come to a point where the King really _did _try to kill the prince."

In that instant, the Pendragon's eyes had widened. "What..."

"One day the prince had eventually begun to fall sick to the plague that was spreading, starting off with a mere fever in the beginning of one week. The fool had taken advantage of that moment to have the latter's meals poisoned with overdoses of the 'medicine' that he was taking mixed with a bunch of other stuff heaven knows he had up his sleeve," the brunette spoke coldly. "And only then to the point of death did the poor prince finally come to believe the truth that his best friend had been trying to tell him from the very start. But it was too late, for there had been nothing he could have done about his uncle at that point...except pay a debt to the apprentice that he'd been willing to account for from the very moment the two of them had become friends."

"What did he do?" Arthur asked.

"He called over one of his trusted servants the night preceding his death...and sent him down to the apprentice's imprisonment with a spare set of keys he'd had hidden that whole time, to free his best friend from that dungeon once and for all," Molly replied with a grin. "From the very start, the prince had known himself that the apprentice had not, in any way, shape, or form, brought any harm to the village of Camelot and was indeed innocent of all blame brought on him by his uncle and the townspeople. It had only been that he had just been waiting for the right time to set his best friend free to go home, to get away from the hostile, warring environment he was trapped in that moment. And so the servant came and went, liberating the apprentice from his captivity and leaving him the chance to exit the village before anyone would realise his disappearance. But after he had ultimately heard about the danger his best friend was in at the same time...the apprentice could not have brought himself to leave just yet."

The blonde's eyes softened. "So..."

"So the dragonlord apprentice himself had gone up to the prince's room in the high tower, horrified to find his best friend pale-faced and cold in his bed, dying as the minutes had passed, for one as pure-hearted as he had been should not have deserved to suffer such a terrible fate as that," Molly replied. "It was only then that the apprentice's own heart had changed...towards Camelot and the world as he knew it. Instead he had helped the dying prince...by saving his life in return for the kindness that he had given him in the beginning. There the young sorcerer had used his magic to produce a remedy that no one else in the world could have realised could be one so real...the green rose itself," the brunette murmured.

"Ah," Arthur replied, nodding once in agreement. "I see..."

Molly nodded back. "Exactly. It is said that the green rose was no more than a symbol of mythology, existent only in the heavens above. But through magic, the apprentice had made it real, indeed, and used it to cure the prince of his sickness." She paused briefly. "And so he had saved his best friend, leaving him asleep in his room as he eventually crept out of the castle unseen, departing from Camelot on the Great Dragon he would have used to destroy it in the first place. But instead the apprentice had saved it, leaving more green roses to simultaneously begin to grow in the paths of the village behind him and curing all of the townspeople living in it of the plague. After that, the war inside Camelot had finally stopped, and the village was brought into an era of peace, assuming the tranquil, carefree setting that we see here today."

"But what about the prince?" the Pendragon cut in. "The King? Did he find out that his friend..."

At that moment, Molly shrugged. "Sadly, I don't know. But the prince had, however, slain his uncle afterwards and eventually assumed his true role as a kind and just king for Camelot. Though to this day, neither he nor his successors have been heard of ever since this village became part of England...oh well. But that's the story."

"And the green roses?" Arthur added curiously. "Do such flowers grow here to this day?"

The brunette slowly shook her head, frowning. "No, I'm afraid not. Ever since the fighting in Camelot had ended, they all just disappeared since no one needed them anymore. I wish they were still here though—I would have loved to collect them anyway." She sighed, looking up at the clouds above her. "You know...they actually say that now you can only find the green rose up in the sky, growing evermore in front of the gates of heaven where the apprentice's father resides in. And if one does find such a rose today and gives it to the person they really care about the most like the apprentice with the prince, it'll do wonders for him or her, depending on what the person is in need of that moment," Molly pondered. "But then again..._that _could be a myth as well—I don't really know. I've never seen it happen before."

In that instant, the Prince of Wales contemplated deep in thought, gazing up in the same direction as Merlin's sister was looking—at the purple-ish clouds in the orange sapphire evening sky over them. Then he closed his eyes and sighed, glancing over to see his own best friend taking care of the rest of his many siblings surrounding him with personal questions.

"Brother, can we go on that ride?" Annie asked him that minute, tugging on the raven's sleeve.

At that moment, Merlin turned around to pat her head with a small smile. "Sure, hold on—I just have to—"

"Brother, I want to play that game!"

He sighed, looking over at Harry. "All right—just hold on a second—"

"MERLIN!" another cried.

In that instant, Arthur couldn't help but chuckle as he watched his best friend fumble aimlessly from sibling to sibling, as if he were a mother goose of the sort trying to tend to each and every one her little goslings.

At that, the blonde had smiled amusedly before finally bringing himself to approach the raven with well intention of helping him when it was possible and broke away from his train of thought.

But as soon as the prince was within three feet of the largely packed group of small children, he had already found himself lost in knowing what to do to assist his poor friend who'd had his hands full, for Merlin's siblings had not only been loud and excited at the time but had also been chock _full_ of energy as well, the majority of them running about like runaway animals from the zoo.

It was only when he had seen a small break in the commotion that he had ultimately found his chance to help Merlin in that situation—when two of the youngest sisters could be seen isolated just outside of the cluster, standing in front of a nearby snack stand.

At that moment, Arthur had swallowed deeply for a minute before coming over to approach Merlin's small siblings.

~o~

"Annie, can we get that?" the one with red hair asked imploringly that instant.

At that moment, the Pendragon paused briefly to see her pointing at a steaming funnel cake with red juicy strawberries sitting on the countertop of the stand. Then he shifted his gaze to see the other sister shake her head at the little redhead.

"No, Maddie, we can't—we don't have the money," Annie had replied.

In response, Maddie had pouted at her older sister, stomping her feet insistently. "But that's not fair...I _want _it..." the latter had whined, almost bursting into tears.

In that instant, Arthur had sighed, his eyes softening as he reached into his pocket to take out the allowance his mother had decided to refill that morning and courteously took two dollars out to spare for the treat that the crying redhead had been begging for so much...

And with that, the blonde had raised his gaze to face the snack stand before them, then stepped forward to place his money on the counter by the cash register and opened his mouth to ask for the strawberry funnel cake sitting next to him.

"Excuse me—"

"What are you doing?" a voice behind him interrupted immediately.

At that moment, Arthur stiffened where he was, whirling around to see Merlin standing right in front of him with an expression of disbelief.

For a minute, he had been at a loss for words and merely lowered his eyes, away from the startled raven. "Oh, Merlin—I was just..."

Before he could even think of how to finish that sentence, the nine-year-old had already started to laugh at him.

"You prat—you _do _notice the long line that's already been here standing next to you waiting for _their _turn?"

In that instant, the blonde raised his head up to meet his gaze with confused eyes. "Line_?_" he'd asked in a perplexed tone before glancing over his shoulder to see the rest of the customers in a single file position. "What do you mean, _line?_"

"What is this?" he'd added shortly after, scratching the back of his head.

Merlin had only laughed again, putting his hand on the other's shoulder. "It's where you have to wait to get your food," he chuckled. "There's a reason these people has been standing here for so long, you know."

At that moment, Arthur had raised an eyebrow in puzzlement, exchanging glances between the line and his friend. "But why do they have to _wait_ in the first place?" the blonde had asked. "Can't they just get what they want and go?"

"You're not used to any of this, are you?" the raven answered in response.

"No," the Pendragon replied, shaking his head.

In that instant, Merlin sighed, staring into the latter's eyes. "Arthur...Camelot's a whole lot different than Buckingham Palace—you're living in the common world now."

Arthur mused, gazing dubiously at his best friend. But before long, the line behind him had finally disappeared, and the two had turned around to face the cashier.

"What can I get you, dears?" the woman at the stand asked politely.

At that moment, the blonde had paused to glance at the raven inquisitively, and with that, Merlin had nodded once with a smile.

"See? _Now_ it's your turn," he laughed.

In that instant, the prince gibingly rolled his eyes at him, then shifted his gaze to ask for Maddie's funnel cake.

"Here you go," the woman had beamed, cheerfully handing the pastry to him before taking his money.

Arthur had courteously smiled back in response, then turned without hesitation to offer the treat to the young redhead behind them, who'd sniffled before shyly taking it from his hands.

At this, Merlin's eyes had widened with surprise as he watched the unexpected exchange happen between the two that instant.

Annie had giggled at her little sister as she kept her timid gaze on the blonde before them. "What do you say?" she inquired, mildly prodding Maddie by the shoulders.

"Th-thank you..." the latter had mumbled.

In that instant, the raven had held his breath for a second before finally shifting his eyes over to meet Arthur's warm gaze.

~o~

Later that evening, the children had spent most of their time catching rides on the merry-go-rounds and mini coasters in addition to strolling around under the dim sunset and playing games for prizes like stuffed animals and such.

It wasn't until afterwards before night was about to fall that everyone had calmed down enough to wait for the fireworks.

At that moment, Merlin had been helping one of his mother's close friends pack up her stand for the night, while Arthur had been standing not far from where he was, carefully observing the honoured statue of the hooded apprentice in the middle of the square.

"New friend, Merlin?" Mrs. Andrews had asked.

The raven had held his breath in that instant, turning around to face Hunith's friend. "Yeah," he exhaled tentatively in response, glancing back to catch another look at the Pendragon. Then he sighed and smiled wryly at the young blonde behind him. "...he's the Prince of Wales, actually," Merlin had added as-a-matter-of-fact.

But Mrs. Andrews had only laughed at him and blushed as he stared out in Arthur's direction. "I'm sure he is," she replied with a titter. "He's quite handsome for his age."

At that moment, Merlin couldn't help but pull an awkward expression on his face as he heard the other's comment. "Yeah..." he began hesitantly before turning to meet up again with the rest of his siblings. "Well, it was nice seeing you," the raven finished with a polite goodbye.

At this, Mrs. Andrews grinned and waved back at him as he grabbed Arthur's arm and nervously led him away from the statue.

~o~

"Give it back!"

But as the two boys had reached the edge of the square, they were horrified to see three older children surrounding Diana and Helen, a tall but stout boy tormenting the two of them at that moment.

In an instant, Diana could be seen jumping up and down, reaching helplessly for her doll in the leader's outstretched hand up in the air.

"Let her go!" Helen cried out at him, stomping her feet while the other two bullies jeered.

Only when one of them had decided to push Diana down did Merlin instinctively rush over in front of his sisters to protect them from the bullies in front of them. And in less than a second, as soon as the raven had finally reached them, the leader had relentlessly punched him across the face and sent him falling to the ground.

"Merlin!" his siblings had cried, the rest of them only a few feet away, Morgana and Molly the only ones present to hold them back from the fight.

But before any of the bullies could land another hit on Merlin, Arthur had quickly stepped in the space between them and stood in front of his fallen friend with an intent expression on his face.

"Leave him alone," the blonde had spoken in a dangerous voice. "_Now_."

"And who do _you _think you are, runt?" the leader spat out with a sneer.

In that instant, Merlin had stirred and raised his head to see the prince protecting him ever so bravely with a valiant scowl on his face much intended for the bullies that were standing before them. At first, he had opened his mouth to say something to the blonde but then closed it shortly after that as his eyes had widened upon the unexpected sight.

"Arthur..." the raven's voice had come out in a hushed murmur as he darted his eyes over to the three boys out in front of them.

But the Pendragon had only narrowed his eyes more at the leader as he'd begun to gibe sardonically at him.

"Huh," he'd scoffed at Arthur, boldly crossing his arms over his chest before raising an eyebrow. "You know what? I don't I've even seen the likes of you around here, kid. You mind if I show you a lesson now on what goes around here at this dump, outsider?" he chortled.

At this, the blonde had only intensified his glare on the latter, condescendingly raising his head at the bully not so much in spite of himself.

Only then did one of the leader's lackeys take the time to bother whispering into his boss's ear, cautiously glancing over at the dragon emblem embroidered in gold on the prince's shirt.

"I wouldn't mess with him too much if I were you..." the subordinate had murmured warily to his friend. "Look at his clothes. Obviously that kid's from that royal family..."

At that moment, the leader's eyes had widened with amazement, and he'd looked at Arthur with a quite devious smile. "So I see...the _Prince of Wales, _are you?"

In that instant, Merlin had held his breath and carefully shifted his gaze up at the composed prince.

Arthur had huffed at the bully in response, turning away from the other with a frown on his face. "And what if I am, scum?" he'd spat out in a cool, collected tone. "Shouldn't that mean you get the idea by now?"

But the leader had only scoffed at the blonde, sarcastically putting his hand to his chest in mock fear. "Oh, do I?" he drawled, mocking away at him some more. "Sure, you think you can act all tough when you've got so much cash in your pockets...pshh—what are _you_ gonna do, runt? Get your daddy to go get his guards to come throw me in the dungeon?"

At that moment, the raven had noticed something break in the blonde's aplomb and looked anxiously at him as the bullies began to laugh derisively at him.

"Daddy's little boy...daddy's little boy..."

Soon, Arthur's expression became reluctant and grim. "Shut up..." he murmured, clenching his fists at them that instant.

But the boys only teased him even more, jeering at him with smug smirks on their faces and sticking their tongues out at him.

At that point, the blonde had growled at them, his countenance rigid with anger, and moved forward to grab the leader by his shirt collar. "I'll make you _sorry_ you said that," he shot back coldly.

"Oh, I'm _so _scared," he'd taunted in response. "Why don't you just go back to Buckingham Palace where nobody else can come hurt you?"

There was a long pause.

Then a thump was heard, and Arthur had crumpled to the ground a foot away from where Merlin was sitting.

"Arthur!" the raven had cried as he watched the scene in horror.

The blonde groaned and sat up, rubbing his red cheek with his hand.

The three bullies scoffed at him again, gibing at him contemptuously where they were.

"Hahahaha...kid can't even defend himself..."

"Leave them alone!" Morgana cried that instant, wriggling in Molly's grasp as she struggled to hold her back. "We've done nothing to you!" she spat out at them indignantly.

"Oh, is that so?" the leader drawled, briefly shifting his gaze towards the Duchess of Edinburgh. "You've done _everything _to us, the lot of you," he continued, darting his eyes back at the prince with a scowl. "Acting all high and mighty when you're all so rich and you know the people you're ruling over's poor and in need every day...you guys know nothing compared to what us townsfolk have to go through all the time in this dump."

"That's not true!" the brunette shot back.

The boy huffed, looking away from them. "_Please. _Camelot—no, all of England is _already_ a dump under that arrogant King Uther's rule...it's not like his _kid_ is worthy to become king of this land one day, either," he spat out, directing his gaze towards the blonde.

At that moment, the prince had swallowed deep, his eyes bitter and pained.

Merlin's eyes had widened as he desperately reached over to reassure his best friend beside him.

But that was when the leader had unfortunately dealt the final blow to the very core of the Pendragon's heart. "To be frank, I already know that it'll be more than _worse _once this runt comes to rule over us, anyway."

The raven had held his breath.

In that instant, Arthur had sprung up to his feet and ran headlong out of the area they were standing in.

Immediately, Morgana had wrenched out of Molly's arms and began to chase after her older cousin.

"Arthur! Come back!"

At that moment, Merlin had quickly stood up beside the duchess and blocked her abruptly with an outstretched arm.

In an instant, she froze at the raven's sudden action and turned to glance down at him with worried eyes.

"Merlin..." Molly murmured softly.

But the young warlock had only swallowed and looked away from the latter.

"I'll get him," he spoke in a soft voice, taking a few steps forward. "Just...take everyone else home," he finished with a sigh, making his way out of the town square.

Though that hadn't been until the leader had begun to gibe behind his back, still laughing his big fat head off.

"See? I knew he wouldn't take it," he jeered with his pals over Merlin's shoulder that instant. "He's just a big fraidy-cat..."

Immediately, the raven had stopped in his tracks and whirled around to glare at the bullies with a resentful expression on his face. "Don't you dare talk about my friend that way," he shot back coldly.

At that moment, the three of them had stopped laughing and looked at him in mock fear.

"Well, well..." the leader snorted, stepping forward to meet Merlin's gaze. "Looks like the smaller shrimp's decided to take a stand here, too..." He gave an arrogant smirk, yanking the raven up by his shirt collar. "You know, just because that Prince _Loser _comes around to try and save that sorry behind of yours, doesn't mean you're better than any of us now..."

"Merlin!" little Helen cried in horror, fearfully reaching her arms out for her older brother.

In that instant, the bully chuckled sinisterly and began to raise a fist towards Merlin's cheek...

But unfortunately, he had only been _too_ wrong to underestimate the capabilities of the young warlock that he was holding.

For before the leader could even land a hit on him, time had all of a sudden stopped right then and there, immobilizing the latter right in the position he was in along with the rest of the townspeople in the square, with the exception of Morgana and his siblings of course.

Immediately, the raven had wriggled himself free from his assailant's grasp and triumphantly stood in front of him with bright amber-golden eyes, a crafty smile slowly forming in his face.

At that moment, he'd begun to hear clapping from a few feet beside him and turned to see his siblings exclaiming with glee.

"Get him, Brother!" they cried that instant.

In response, Merlin had grinned cleverly at the little ones, catching a quick glance at Morgana's shocked expression as her eyes had widened tenfold with disbelief.

"Merlin...you're a..." the duchess murmured, taken aback at the sight.

But the raven had only laughed at the brunette, turning his head to focus his gaze on all three of the bullies until they were levitating no more than seven feet off the ground.

Immediately, their faces had grown fearful, their eyes frantically darting around in different directions.

And only then at the height of ten feet did Merlin finally decide to put them down...on a nearby tree, hanging from an outstretched branch by their underwear in a quite embarrassing position.

After that, his eyes had reverted back to their normal sapphire blue colour, and time had resumed once more as if nothing had happened, the townspeople continuing whatever it was they were doing before.

In an instant, his siblings were cheering for him, laughing and pointing fingers at the bullies that were now hanging by the uncomfortable tree wedgies they'd been given, snivelling and shrinking away from the raven as he victoriously walked past them.

"You won't tell anyone...will you, Morgana?" Merlin asked, a bit nervous as he turned to make his way down the path.

At this, the brunette had only laughed at him, glancing back over at the blubbering oafs. "Of course _I_ promise I won't, but what can you say about _them?_" she giggled, pointing at the leader.

In response, the raven slowly shook his head, grinning at the three. "Pshh, don't worry—nobody here believes them, anyway. They're already known as big fat liars," he chuckled, turning to run after Arthur. "Just be sure to get out of here before anyone else sees," he called over his shoulder, rushing out of the square. "Arthur and I'll catch up with you all in no time."

"Okay!" the duchess replied, shifting over to help Molly lead the rest of the siblings in making their way back home.

With that, Merlin closed his eyes and sighed, trotting down the road in front of him.

Even before, during his first days in this town, he'd still known the paths around the square by heart, as most of them had led straight to the very neighbourhood his family had been living in. And recognising the trees surrounding the path that he'd just begun to pass, he'd known immediately that there had only been _one _way that his best friend could have taken that moment...

The one leading to that special river that he himself had found when he hadn't been any more than six years old.

"Arthur?" the raven called as he passed the slender reeds that continued to grow along the waterside.

And there he found the Prince of Wales himself, sitting by the bank with his knees curled up and head facing down, gazing sullenly at the murky waves flowing before him.

~o~

It was quiet except for the sound of the crickets chirping when Merlin went to sit down next to the blonde.

His mind had been deep in thought that moment, his eyes distant and dull. Then after a while, he'd sighed and murmured something that only the raven could have heard that instant...

"Are you all right, Merlin?" Arthur had whispered silently, slowly shifting his azure blue eyes over to where his friend was sitting.

Merlin had paused for a brief minute before letting out a soft exhale. "Yeah."

Silence.

Then the Pendragon had sighed again, burying his face in his palms. "They all laughed at me, didn't they? Even after I left?"

"...they didn't have any right to treat you like that," the raven replied softly.

The blonde exhaled sharply, raising his head to glare intently at the water. "But they had _every_ right to go and judge me back there for who I was, Merlin!"

No response.

Arthur sucked in a gulp of air, then paused. "See...this is why I don't like going out in public all that much especially when I'm around people I don't even know..." He frowned, looking at his reflection in the water. Then he'd clenched his fists, his face rigid for just a second. "You have absolutely no idea how much I wanted to punch that kid _so_ much back there when I couldn't..."

"Everyone's a critic," he muttered, throwing a rock into the river before putting a hand to his forehead. "Never again."

At that, the raven pressed his mouth into a tight line, clenching his fists over his knees. "No, they're not," he spat out in response, standing up on his feet next to the prince.

In that instant, Arthur's eyes had widened with surprise.

With this, Merlin was silent for a minute, then lowered his eyes and turned away from the latter, taking a deep breath.

"At least...not _everyone _is," he murmured softly.

Another long pause.

By that time, the blonde had already held his breath. He'd been quiet before he'd finally brought himself to face his best friend with a rigid expression on his face.

"...Merlin," Arthur spoke just above a hushed whisper. "Don't tell me that you..."

The raven had stood tall and responded in an unwavering tone. "But I did, Arthur," he replied, swallowing deep. "I went and stood up to all three of them after you ran off."

Dead silence.

"...what? You did that...for me?"

At this, the prince had tensed, his eyes bulging as he stared into the river's depths. Then slowly, he'd opened his mouth and spoke in a reluctant voice.

"But...why?"

Merlin had stiffened for a moment, glancing over at his best friend as he continued to stare at his reflection in the murky waters before them. Then he paused just a second before finally turning away to look out into the horizon as the yellow-orange sun had begun to disappear in the near distance.

"Of course," the raven had replied quietly, his gaze intent and steadfast as evening's last breeze blew past the two of them that instant. He closed his eyes soon after that, lowering his eyes at that moment.

"Anything for you, Arthur," he'd breathed. "I mean...you are my friend after all."

At this, the blonde had held his breath once more, carefully turning his head to meet the latter's unyielding stare.

Merlin's eyes had been soft but brighter than the orange sapphire sky above them.

~o~

"You know...I used to come to this area a lot before when I was little."

"Really?" the prince replied, shifting his gaze towards the raven.

Merlin smiled at the memory for a moment, staring out into the riverbank. "It was when we'd just come here again for the first time after my father had come and left us. No one really paid attention to me much when my sisters came along, so I'd wandered off a lot every now and then." He chuckled slightly, picking up a smooth grey pebble beside him. "Though sometimes I'd think Father would be there to follow after me when the day was almost over, making sure I wasn't hurt or anything like that."

Arthur smirked upon hearing the latter's last few words.

But then his eyes had soon softened when he'd noticed something begin to break inside his best friend's serenity. He frowned as the raven winced and threw the stone into the water before him.

As Merlin had let out a sigh and turned to toss another pebble into the river's depths, the blonde calmly took the latter's wrist and held it gingerly beside him.

"I think you mean to throw it like this," Arthur whispered softly to him, carefully taking the raven's hand and lightly directing it so that the stone had skipped across right along the river surface.

At that moment, Merlin watched the pebble with awe and couldn't help but smile again as he met the Pendragon's gaze.

That instant, Arthur had laughed, grinning amusedly at his best friend. "I _do _wonder what happened back there when you said that you _stood_ up to those three idiots."

"Let's just say I left them 'hanging' once I was through with them," the raven replied with a smug smile.

At this, the blonde raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" he asked curiously, scrutinizing his gaze on his best friend.

"Er...yeah," Merlin shot back, struggling to hide his reluctance. "Why, consider yourself lucky that you weren't even there!"

In an instant, the Prince of Wales had begun to laugh even louder, putting a hand to his chest as his face began to flush red.

"Really now? You do realize that I could take you apart with one blow?" he asked, superciliously placing his hand over on top of the raven's shoulder.

But in response, the young warlock couldn't help but smirk quite deviously at him. "Huh. I can take you apart with _more _than that," he shot back.

He laughed as Arthur looked at him with playful eyes, then began to chase him along the riverside until they both ended up falling on top of each other, out of breath with their faces just a few inches apart from each other.

Night had finally fallen as Merlin had absent-mindedly gazed over the Pendragon's shoulder to see the numerous stars in the sky scattered above them, though none had even compared to the prince's ocean blue eyes, glimmering under the moonlight.

Only when loud popping sounds were heard did the two finally sit up on the tall grass, to see giant bursts of bright lights illuminating the darkness of the night—the fireworks up in the sky that Camelot had promised in the finale for the Festival of the Green Rose.

"Whoa..." Arthur murmured, taken very much aback by the dazzling colours in the distance.

Merlin had done the same that instant, marvelling in awe as each of the fireworks shone for all of Camelot to see.

Though that hadn't been until a more magnificent beam of light gleamed up in the sky for just a split second.

"A shooting star!" the raven exclaimed at that moment, quickly pointing his hand up in the air towards the comet.

The blonde couldn't help but chuckle as his best friend closed his eyes.

"What did you wish for?" he asked amusedly.

Merlin was silent for a minute. "...nothing," he replied, opening his eyes to look at his friend. "I mean...it's not like I'm not already happy with what I have anyway."

At that, Arthur had nodded once in agreement, shifting his gaze towards the stars. "So I see..." he replied, glancing over at the young warlock with a smile. "It _is_ only with the heart that one can see rightly, and what is essential is invisible to the eye."

In that instant, the raven's eyes had widened as he'd come to recognise the words the blonde had just said. "That's..." he began.

"You know, I never did understand what that old fox meant by that phrase when I read the story for the first time," the prince murmured, staring up into the night sky. "I always wondered what it was for, and I'd never been able to understand the true meaning behind it..." he trailed off.

Then he paused to look at his best friend. "That is...until I met you," he finished.

At that moment, Merlin stiffened and turned to meet Arthur's gaze.

But before either of them had even realised it...their faces had been inches apart again—slowly moving closer...and closer...until they'd eventually found their lips softly pressed against one another's, the blonde tenderly holding the raven close for an instant as both had closed their eyes and let out small sighs.

Their first kiss...

~o~

By the end of that night, the two were just holding fingers, Merlin resting his head on the prince's shoulder with tired eyes.

After a while, the Pendragon yawned and turned to glance down at his best friend.

"Merlin?"

"Hm?"

"...I'm glad you're here."

"..."

"Stay that way, will you? Don't ever change."

Silence.

Then the raven raised his arms briefly to yawn himself and began to fall asleep on the blonde, his last few words no more than a hushed murmur...

"If there ever comes a time when we can't be together...keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever."

At that, Arthur had held his breath and looked at his best friend again, only to find him deep in slumber.

~o~

Later on, the prince had carried the young warlock home, just until they had finally reached their neighbourhood.

Only then did Merlin wake up to walk Arthur over to his doorstep.

"G'night," the raven mumbled drowsily.

Yawn. "Night."

With that, the two had parted ways, the raven left to cross the street on his own in the direction of his own humble abode.

But just as he had put reached over to place his hand on the doorknob, all of a sudden he had heard faint yelling coming from behind.

"_Don't you give me that...!"_

Immediately, the young warlock had tensed and quickly whirled around to see where the noise had been coming from, only to find himself staring at one of the windows to Arthur's mansion where he could have sworn he'd seen two silhouettes standing in front of one another as if they were having a spat of some sort that instant.

And was one of them..._Arthur's father?_

At that moment, Merlin had rubbed his eyes, squinting at the lighted window on the second floor.

But the second time he looked in that area...the shadows had disappeared.

After a while, the raven had sighed, lowering his eyes and reluctantly turning to open the front door.

_Maybe I'm just imagining it..._

With that, he slowly shook his head and stepped into the threshold of his home.

~o~

**Music in My Mind~ **Somewhere Only We Know by Keane (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Review? ^^";_

Sorry again it's so long, but I promise _this_ will be short. =w=";

Just wanted to say Merlin's last words at the lake:

"_If there ever comes a time when we can't be together, keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever." _

came from a favourite quote of mine said by none other than **Winnie the Pooh** himself~ ;D (Don't own, but I do wanna see the _movie._ XD) Also, in the next chapter (that should be out in a while, hopefully... ^^";) Merlin and Arthur's friendship will be finally be put to the test, starting with that brief foreshadowing you obviously noticed at the end above... XDDD But yeah. ;D

Till then, loves~! =^w^=

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.


	6. Chapter 6: The Truth Never Lies

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 6: The Truth Never Lies**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO

**Music on My Mind~** Breakeven by The Script (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

Quick note that the whole fic itself is based on a true story that happened in real life (but between two girls, not guys), though a lot of things were altered for Merlin and Arthur and some scenes were elongated. I'm not a copycat or anything like that. ^^"; However, I have to say that a few of the events in this chapter will actually parallel with some from the original story.

So...yeah—here the undying friendship between the two will be put to the ultimate test, beginning with this chapter...

Enjoy~ ;D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

That same night early on into the next day, Merlin had not once stopped thinking about the yelling he'd unintentionally overheard in Arthur's house back into the previous night.

Even when he'd tried to think of other things, the same words had always managed to sneak back into his mind again after a while and caused him to worry about an unknown truth that his best friend could or could not have known about at that point.

"_Don't you give me that...!" _the voice echoed once more in his head.

In that instant, a mental image of the King's silhouette began to make itself visible in the corners of Merlin's mind, and the raven vigorously shook his head, as if the picture would disappear as soon as he did.

However, it continued to stay where it was, and eventually the raven had given up, opening his eyes to stare down into the riverbank and to watch his faint reflection ripple in the dark waters below.

He sucked in a gulp of air for a moment, his eyes widening briefly as he peered into the river. Then he sighed and swallowed deep, putting one of his hands to his forehead.

That instant, before he'd closed his eyes again, he'd heard carefree laughter emanating not more than a mere few feet away from him, a bit farther along the riverbank where an old log lay fallen across the long and winding stream that ran along the new route the two of them had decided to take home, which Arthur had been standing on that moment as he continued to cross over to the other side.

The rare but genuine smile on his face at that point had been so much more than precious to Merlin that instant, as he couldn't help but chuckle at the blonde as he walked along the worn-out tree trunk below him.

If only that light-hearted atmosphere both were basking in that moment could possibly remain forever in the strong and binding friendship the two of them very much had to that day...but even the young warlock himself had begun to doubt after predicting the fearful consequences that could possibly arise should the unknown secret he was keeping finally come to the prince's attention.

And it was not only the fact that he had possibly heard his mother and father having a row with each other that previous night in their bedroom up on the second floor of his house...but _how _he may have been able to hear them when he had been far across from the street, and their window had been closed shut at the time.

If he could finally be able to tell the young prince the full truth about what he'd been concealing since that night after the festival...would he even come to believe the words that he would say?

At that moment, the prince laughed again, and the raven looked up once more with the slightest bit of apprehension on his face.

After all, it didn't even look like Arthur had even heard anything out of the ordinary that night...

But then on another note, how _would_ he react if he did find out the true nature of his very existence? Would he still accept him for who he was as a person? What if Arthur got mad at him instead and didn't believe him, or want to be his friend anymore?

...what would Merlin do then?

The numerous questions that had been filling the raven's head had almost been impossible for him to bear at that point, but he continued to carry the burden anyway, slowly getting up to his feet, his countenance tense and apprehensive.

Though that had not been until the very moment where he'd heard the prince himself call his name from afar and looked up immediately to see that he had already made it the other side of the river, waving his hands in his direction and gesturing towards the fallen log.

"Come on, Merlin!" Arthur cried, beaming at him from across.

In that instant, the young warlock pursed his lips inquisitively, then lowered his eyes down to the old tree trunk before him, his expression hesitant as he noticed the dark waters just below the latter.

"What are you waiting for?"

It wasn't until after a while that he had brought himself to meet the blonde's gaze again and opened his mouth to speak in protest.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," Merlin responded in a reluctant voice, shifting his gaze down to the river and back at his best friend. "Can't we take the usual path instead?"

At this, the blonde had frowned with perplexity and darted his eyes over to the log lying between them.

"What are you talking about, Merlin?" he replied, raising an eyebrow as he looked at him. "It's faster this way, and it's only a few steps across. There's absolutely no problem in saying _that_. Come on!"

At that moment, the raven gulped before tentatively stepping forward onto the log, just barely maintaining his balance as he wobbled on top of the old tree trunk under him. Soon enough, he could see the dark depths of the river below, and already his stomach had begun to churn.

"But I'm—" the nine-year-old started to speak.

_Scared... _he thought to himself miserably. _I can't swim _that.He closed his eyes that instant, taking a deep breath.

_Oh, boy..._

"It's not that bad!" Arthur called back in response, waving to his best friend with encouragement. "Trust me."

At that moment, Merlin held his breath and opened his eyes to meet the blonde's gaze. "_Trust _you?" he answered dubiously, glancing down at the river. "Over this? What if I fall?"

The prince let out a sigh, slowly shaking his head at the raven. "You won't—I promise. Just don't look down."

That instant, the young warlock swallowed hard, then reluctantly took another step forward so that he was now at the very middle of the log.

"That's it!" Arthur exclaimed supportively as his best friend raised his head to look at him with hesitant eyes.

But when Merlin took the next step, the tree trunk had shaken a little, causing him to wobble along with it. At that, the raven's eyes widened, and immediately, he froze where he was, his mouth gaping as he stared down into the dark depths below him.

"I can't," he cried fearfully, shrinking back and closing his eyes that instant. "I can't do it, Arthur!"

There was a brief pause after that.

"...you really are scared, aren't you?"

Silence.

Then the young warlock cringed slightly, shuddering as he slowly brought himself to meet the other's gaze once more, the blonde's eyes as wide as his, almost guilty that moment.

"Yes_,_" he replied unwaveringly, still staring at the prince with a terrified expression. "I don't know how to swim."

At this, Arthur gulped and nodded, lowering his eyes for a minute.

Merlin looked away as well.

But then he held his breath again when he saw a fair hand outstretched in front of him and looked up to see the prince standing just before him.

"Grab my hand," the blonde spoke evenly, shifting over a bit closer towards his best friend. "It's alright."

In response, the raven swallowed, slowly bringing his hand up to grasp the other's open palm.

Arthur exhaled sharply as the two of them stood together, then carefully pulled Merlin close and pursed his lips.

"Now close your eyes," the prince had breathed, taking his friend's left arm over his shoulders. "And don't open them until I tell you to."

The young warlock nodded once, instantly following the Pendragon's orders.

Then Arthur warily made the first move forward, step-by-step leading Merlin across the fallen log until finally the two of them had reached the end, and the blonde advanced off the old tree trunk, still holding the other's hand.

"All right," the prince had sighed before looking up at the raven. "We're across. Jump."

At this, Merlin hesitated a little, his expression timid and reluctant. But that hadn't been until Arthur gave his hand a slight squeeze and spoke to him again.

"It's okay. Merlin, I'm right here—I've got you."

In that instant, the nine-year-old took a deep breath, then took a step back before he wholeheartedly threw himself forward, only to be caught by two arms before sinking down onto solid ground.

As soon the raven had opened his eyes, he'd been surprised to find himself safe on the other side of the river that he'd feared so much and slowly looked up to see his best friend still holding him in a protective manner, the two of them sitting down on the tall grass in front of the fallen log.

"For heaven's sake, Merlin," Arthur panted, shifting his gaze down at the young warlock. "Next time just say so. You know I'll always listen to you."

At that moment, Merlin held his breath, his eyes widening as he met the prince's reassuring stare.

"Really...?" he murmured softly, gazing into his sapphire blue eyes.

"Of course!" the latter exclaimed, playfully prodding him on the shoulder.

At this, the raven's eyes had widened. "Arthur...I—"

The blonde had laughed at his friend that instant, briefly turning away from him. "After all, how _couldn't_ I listen to you_, _Merlin? Even if I did try my hardest, I swear I _still_ wouldn't be able to ignore you once."

Merlin swallowed, lowering his eyes and nodding once, a small smile forming on his soft lips. "Huh...is that so..."

In response, the prince couldn't help but grin back, standing up next to the young warlock with his hand on the other's shoulder. "Now come on—we have to get going. I'm not sure about your mum, but my father told me he'd be quite irritable if I got home late again..."

With that, he helped the raven up on his feet, then proceeded to walk past the bushes along the path in front of them.

For a moment, Merlin had stayed behind to watch his best friend's back with warm eyes, contemplating carefully in the back of his mind.

_Get yourself together, Merlin...you've known him for almost a month already._

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, raising his head to look up at the orange sapphire sky.

_Who knows? Maybe he won't get mad at you after all._

In that instant, the young warlock chuckled softly to himself, taking a step forward to follow after Arthur until he was just a foot behind the blonde himself.

_But then again...I can't be sure._

At that point, Merlin had glanced up to look at the prince's face, now serious and deep in thought.

At this, the raven frowned a little, lowering his eyes for just a second, his expression almost sombre. He took a deep breath.

_I still _might _just be hearing things..._

He raised his head slightly, darting his eyes back towards the slowly sinking sun in the horizon. Then he shifted his gaze again to meet Arthur's impassive stare.

_...when the time comes, _the young warlock thought to himself that instant as he walked alongside the Prince of Wales. _I guess I can tell him the truth then._

With that, he continued to walk beside his best friend, who'd finally glanced over to meet his gaze with a genuine smile.

In response, Merlin had pursed his lips, then beamed at him in return.

However...it was quite a shame that the young warlock had not been able to foresee the occurrences that would arise over the next few days.

~o~

Unfortunately for Merlin as the week went on, each night would worsen continuously, the arguing from that same window growing louder and louder every day. And to add to that, the silhouettes that he'd eventually come to know so well began to appear in his dreams as well, preventing him from getting any sleep that he'd needed so much.

Most of all, however...Arthur still had no idea what was going on each of the nights where his best friend had often found himself apprehensive and restless.

As a result, the burden that the young warlock had continued to carry for so long only got heavier and heavier for him.

That is...until finally, when the inconvenient truth had ultimately appeared—right before the raven's eyes.

~o~

It was morning when Merlin had gone to Arthur's house again, after being invited again to yet another play date from the prince and the Duchess of Edinburgh herself.

Without question, the servant had let him in that dawn after he'd rung the doorbell once, greeting him kindly by saying that His Highness had been outside in the backyard presently, preparing new toys he'd taken out for them to play with later.

And the raven, polite as he had always been, gratefully thanked the man for the new information and went on to proceed to the back door of the mansion with an eager expression on his face.

However, just as he had been no more than a corner's turn away from the open threshold itself, a strident shout had broken the atmosphere around him, causing him to stop right where he was that moment.

In that instant, Merlin had paused in his tracks before he'd suddenly begun to hear two strangely familiar voices that seemed to be emanating from the kitchen nearby, and carefully crept over to peer inside as he overheard the hot-blooded conversation that they'd been having.

Only then did he finally see the truth behind all that he'd been hearing for the past few days as he glanced into the threshold of the room...

When the King and Queen of England themselves were standing in each other's midst at that very moment...painfully gazing at one another in a volatile, almost choking standstill.

That instant, the young warlock's breath had stilled as he let out a small gasp. His eyes had widened tenfold as he heard the words that had begun to resound in the room before him.

~o~

"You're seeing someone else, aren't you?"

Arthur's mother.

"No!"

"Tell me the truth!"

There was a pause after that.

"Good heavens, Ygraine! For the umpteenth time, I am most certainly not seeing anyone other than you!"

A moment of silence.

"All right—then tell me. Who was that woman on the phone I've been hearing you speak to for the past few nights?"

A temporary halt.

"_Catrina? _Oh, Uther—don't you dare think you can fool me. Does _she _ring a bell to you?"

No response.

"Answer me!" Mrs. Pendragon cried.

Another pause.

"...she's no one," Uther replied softly. "Just an old friend from long before—"

"You're lying!" the Queen wailed. "You're lying to me again, I know it! Just _stop!_" At that point, her cheeks were flushed and stained with wet tears falling from her eyes.

"I'm sick and tired of having to fight with you over and over again about this _one _issue that you can't even be honest with me with...sick of it!"

Merlin sucked in a gulp of air at that moment, a lump beginning to form in his throat. _Oh no..._

Arthur's father was holding her close that instant, stroking her hair back in the hopes of reassuring his distraught wife. But his eyes were pained, and the raven could see that for himself.

Ygraine let out a sob, clutching her husband's shoulder that moment. Then she took a deep breath and brought her face close to his chest.

"Don't lie to me—I _know_ you've been seeing her more than a lot lately...so just tell me what she wants already. I beg of you, damn it, to tell me the truth right now while I'm still standing here by _your _side."

At that moment, Merlin saw a tear fall from the King's cheek and listened to the latter's response as he closed his eyes to speak back.

"All right. All right, Ygraine," Uther had murmured in response. He paused for a second to swallow, then went on to continue in a hoarse, hushed voice. "I'll tell you. Just...please—calm down."

"I...have been seeing her. But I promise you that she is no more than a peasant woman that used to work in the royal household a few years before you came into my life," he breathed. "We used to be close friends back then and...well, she's been quite in debt lately—"

"You have a child with her, don't you?" the Queen cut in quietly. "That's why you've been giving her money all this time..." she began to gasp.

Immediately, the room became dead silent.

"Oh, all these years...I've known you all too well, love. All too well..."

In that instant, Merlin's eyes widened as she abruptly pulled away the King, her eyes pained and deep with anguish.

At that, Uther had held his breath, reaching his arm out for her in response. "Ygraine...I'm so sorry, I—"

But the Queen only raised a hand and turned away from him. "Uther..." she began to weep at that point, more tears streaming down her cheeks. "How could you keep this from me for _so_ long! How could you do this...to me? To _Arthur, _of all people? Do you even know how many times I've had to lie to our own son just to cover up for your faults?"

"Ygraine, I didn't mean to..." At that moment, the King winced painfully at her words and stepped forward to reach for her again like a child, only to have her back away from him even more. "Please...forgive me..."

"Don't touch me! That's enough," Arthur's mother sniffled, glaring into her spouse's eyes. "I've heard all that there is to hear."

Uther was silent that instant, gazing agonizingly at her from a distance.

And then, after a brief pause, Ygraine had finally turned her back to him, wiping her eyes. "If you really were going to hurt me this much in the end," she sobbed, pointing directly to her bosom that instant. "...why didn't you just kill me instead?" she wept coldly, stepping forward to leave the room.

"Ygraine!" the King cried, swiftly moving to follow after her.

That moment, Merlin gulped, immediately backing away from the kitchen threshold in horror as if he'd just experienced bloody murder.

He put his hands on his forehead, his eyes wide and mouth gaping as he slowly sank to the floor in shock.

So...he _had_ been right all along, for it had most definitely been the King and Queen he'd been hearing for the past few nights of quarrelling...

But...who would have known that it would come down to something like _this? _And to think that Arthur alone knew nothing of it to this point...what was Merlin to do _now_?

After a while, the raven exhaled sharply, reluctantly getting up on his feet as he leaned onto the wall for support before he'd found himself walking out the back door as if he'd been in a trance of some sort.

~o~

It wasn't long before the prince himself had finally appeared before him with his camouflage pilot hat on, riding what had seemed to be a small Power Wheels Jeep with two extra back seats.

He'd smiled instantly upon seeing the raven before finally "killing the engine" and pulling over to greet him in the hopes of starting the fun-filled play date they'd both been excited to have since they day before.

"Merlin! There you are!" Arthur exclaimed as he got out of the driver's seat to meet his best friend. "Are you ready to start playing now? Everything's here—sorry it took me so long," he finished, briefly turning to glance at his newest toy to share.

But when he shifted his gaze back to look at the young raven again, his face had grown serious in an instant when he'd noticed the other's face so tense and rigid.

Merlin's eyes had still been wide at that point, and his hands had been shaking at his sides.

At that moment, Arthur's expression became solemn as he warily observed the present condition of his best friend, who really hadn't looked like himself at all.

"Hey...what's wrong?" he murmured softly, glancing down to meet the other's gaze.

In that instant, the young warlock stiffened as he felt the blonde's stare and immediately looked away from him, his arms hugging his own shoulders.

"Arthur, I..." he gasped, clutching himself desperately. "I can't—"

_What should I tell him now? _Merlin thought anxiously to himself. _I can't tell him the truth..._

For a minute, he'd closed his eyes, trying helplessly to compose himself in front of his best friend. But unfortunately, his body only continued to tremble, and within seconds, Arthur was holding him close, calming him down as much as he could.

"It's okay..." the blonde breathed, reassuringly placing his hand on the other's back. "I'm here. Just tell me, and I'll listen..."

In that instant, the raven held his breath, swallowing deep before he finally looked up to meet the prince's concerned gaze.

With that, his hands had stopped shaking, and after a moment's silence, he'd calmly backed away from the latter, his eyes solemn and intent.

_But he has to know, _the thought echoed in the back of Merlin's mind. _I can't hide all this from him forever...and neither can his mum and dad._

At that moment, the young warlock closed his eyes and let out a small sigh.

_Even if it hurts me or him...he has to know now before it's too late._

With that, the truth slowly began to come out of Merlin's mouth, little-by-little, and during the whole time, Arthur had listened quietly.

~o~

When the raven had finished, he'd hesitantly opened his eyes and glanced up to look at his best friend again, only to find his countenance blank and collected, as if what he'd said meant absolutely nothing to him.

At this, Merlin's face grew concerned, and immediately, he'd opened his mouth to speak more to the blonde.

"Arthur..." he began, wincing.

But as soon as the prince had opened his, the young warlock had realised in an instant that he had been doing no more than pushing the sad reality away from his mind, incredulous to it as Merlin himself had been when he had first seen the truth himself.

"No," the blonde replied evenly, shaking his head at the raven in disbelief. "That can't be them. You're kidding—Mother and Father wouldn't yell at each other like that, and Father certainly _couldn't _be seeing anyone else other than Mother...he wouldn't dare."

In response, Merlin had gulped, staring worriedly into the other's eyes. "But Arthur...I did. There's no mistaking it."

But this time, the prince's hands had begun to shake, as did his voice at that moment. "That's not true," he answered firmly, clenching his teeth that instant. "I refuse to listen to any more of this. Come on—let's just play now," he finished, changing the subject.

However, the young warlock's eyes had only softened, and instinctively, he'd reached over to place his hand on the other's shoulder. "I'm sorry," Merlin spoke softly, wincing as he met his friend's pained gaze. "But I really can't let this go, Arthur—it's true. It really _was _your mum and dad I heard quarrelling with one another back there. And I know this'll sound weird, but I've been hearing them for quite a long time now ever since—"

"No, you didn't!" Arthur yelled back, distraught and angry at that point. "You didn't hear them!" he shouted, immediately backing away from the raven. "You're lying! Father would never do anything like that to us! Ever!"

At that moment, Merlin's eyes widened, afraid by the other's sudden change of heart. "But I..." he murmured, a lump forming in the middle of his throat.

Instantly, the prince vigorously shook his head and put his hands over his ears. "Shut up! Just shut up!" he cried, pushing the raven away.

At that, Merlin winced, hopelessly staring at the troubled blonde before him. "Arthur..."

But the latter wouldn't listen. "That's enough!" he yelled, glaring intently at him that instant.

Arthur took a deep breath, advancing towards the raven in rage. "How could you possibly know anything about this anyway! You wouldn't! You're just jealous because you don't even have a father to begin with! You don't understand a thing!"

At that moment, Merlin bit his lip, the prince's harsh words cutting deep into his heart.

But before he could say anything more...

"Just go away and leave me alone! I never want to see you again!" the blonde had shouted. Then he quickly turned to run back inside and slammed the door behind him.

Soon, all became quiet, and the young warlock stood outside alone as rain began to pour from the sky, hiding the tears that slowly began to roll down his pale cheeks.

~o~

That afternoon, Merlin had gone home and walked straight up to his room, shutting the door behind him. And he had stayed there for the rest of the day, ignoring his siblings when they knocked and their calls of concern when he simply wouldn't answer.

All the raven had done that evening was just lie there on his bed, thinking desolately to himself of the few remaining reasons why he had still continued to exist today at this point.

He hid his head under a pillow, clenching his teeth as he tried to stop the bitter tears that continued to stream down his face.

At that moment, the young warlock let out a stifled sob, then sucked in a gulp of air before he'd finally found himself drift off into a deep sleep.

~o~

_(Pendragon Manor)_

"...you really shouldn't have yelled at him like that," Morgana spoke evenly as she combed her doll's hair on the prince's bed. "He was only trying to help. You know he'd never lie to any of us."

At that moment, Arthur rolled over on his side on the floor and didn't say a word. He'd been curled up on his carpet for almost an hour now, still intently staring at the wall of his room.

"Besides, I can even trust him a lot more than I think I can trust old Uncle—"

"Father wouldn't do anything like that," the blonde spat out bitterly at her. "He's a great man, and he's been the ruler of England for more than a decade now. There's no way he could be so careless."

Morgana only let out a sigh, propping her stuffed doll prim beside her. "He's human, though," she replied in a calm tone. "Everybody makes mistakes."

"Well, not my father," Arthur shot back. "Not when he's been the one who's always been pushing me to be perfect for so long...he wouldn't dare." Abruptly, the blonde stood up on his feet and reach out for the door to open it.

"I'm getting a glass of water," he grumbled, stepping out into the corridor and slamming the door behind him.

At that, the duchess slowly shook her head, glancing down at her favourite doll.

~o~

Arthur walked down the stairs with a rigid expression on his face, passing the servants and maids that went by without greeting them even once.

All that had been on his mind at that moment were only the words Merlin had told him just before he had run off and sent him away.

~xXx~

"_I really can't let this go, Arthur—it's true. It really was your mum and dad I heard quarrelling with one another back there..."_

~xXx~

The Pendragon only shook his head, passing his parents' bedroom as he began to make his way down towards the kitchen.

"Father seeing another woman...that's ridiculous," he'd murmured to himself, closing his eyes.

Though that hadn't been until he'd heard his mother crying from the previous room and immediately stopped in his tracks to step back and see his father sitting next to her on the bedside, trying to comfort her in his arms.

"I hate you..." Ygraine wept, shaking her head at the King. "So much."

Uther's eyes were pained as he stroked his wife's back. "Forgive me..."

At that moment, Arthur's eyes had softened, and he stood just outside of the room to watch his dear mother weep into his father's shoulder.

Then, as soon as he inched closer to the threshold, he'd heard words from his mother's mouth that made his breath hitch in an instant.

"_When you leave to go see that wedlock child of yours...don't plan on coming back to see me here any longer."_

~o~

It was only then that for the first time as he had listened to the conversation his parents were having with each other, did Arthur become so disgusted with the man sitting beside his mother.

In just moments, Uther and Ygraine had finally noticed their only son eavesdropping outside of their room, and immediately, the blonde had stepped inside to gaze incredulously at them.

"So it's true, then!" Arthur had cried, his hands balling up into fists.

In an instant, Ygraine was at her child's side, stroking his hair back with concerned eyes. "What are you talking about, love? Father and I are right here..."

But at that moment, the blonde had pulled away from her, shaking his head in disbelief. "Don't lie to me!" he shot back, directing his eyes on his father that instant.

Immediately, Uther had gotten up on his feet to glare furiously at his son. "Don't you dare raise your voice in this household!" he roared.

"Don't pretend I don't know anything!" Arthur shouted in response.

At that, the King had raised an eyebrow at his son's unusual attitude. "What in the blazes are you blubbering about?" he replied, his own voice escalating more and more with anger. "What is the meaning of this, Arthur? You had better have a good reason to show me such unacceptable disrespect!"

In that instant, the prince wiped his eyes, then stepped forward to confront his father. "I heard you and Mother fighting! And everything you said!" he acidly spat out at Uther. "You're seeing another woman somewhere else without Mother knowing! You've been lying to both of us this whole time! "

Almost at once, the atmosphere in the room had grown silent but dangerous and volatile at the same time.

Uther stood like a statue at that moment, his eyes open wide and face rigid as ice.

Ygraine had put her hand on the blonde's shoulder, her eyes agonized with pain. "Arthur..."

After a while, the prince had opened his mouth again to speak more towards the man before him that he'd always known as his father for so long.

"I trusted you, Father," he continued in a cold voice. "I trusted you!" Arthur gritted his teeth, his hands shaking at his sides. "...and I can't believe I did," he stated. "Merlin tried to tell me everything from the very beginning...and I hate myself for not believing him when I know that I should have."

The blonde sucked in a gulp of air, then narrowed his eyes at the King. "I lost a friend today all because of you!" he screamed. "I hate you..." he spoke under his breath, his mouth quivering. "I hate you!"

Soon, Uther was kneeling in front of his son, outstretching his arms to put them on the latter's shoulders. "Arthur...listen to me, I—"

"Don't touch me!" the prince cried, shrinking back from the King. "You liar..."

In that instant, the blonde had quickly turned and ran out of the room without looking back even once.

~o~

_(Emrys Home)_

~xXx~

"_Merlin..." _

A thunderclap.

"_...Merlin!"_

Dead silence.

"_Merlin..."_

"Daddy..." Merlin mumbled softly, turning his head under his pillow. "Come back...don't go..."

A flash of blinding white light...

~xXx~

"No!" the raven cried and quickly sat up in his bed.

He gasped, panting as he opened his eyes, only to find himself in his mother's loving arms, his own arms wrapped tightly around her torso as he embraced her like there was no tomorrow.

"Shh...it's okay, honey," Hunith murmured softly, gently stroking her son's back and holding him close. "It's all right—it was just a dream. You're safe now."

"Mother..."

The raven sniffled, taking a deep breath to compose himself. After another minute, the room was silent once more.

"Morgana told me what happened between you and Arthur this morning...is everything all right?" Hunith asked calmly, pulling back a little to meet the latter's gaze. "Molly told me that you've been up here this whole time...so I came home a little early."

At that moment, Merlin slowly shook his head, speaking in an even tone. "I'm sorry, Mum...I—Arthur—"

"Shh...calm down for a minute," Mrs. Emrys had murmured, holding him reassuringly. "Try not to stress yourself too much right now. Why, look—you're already beginning to catch a cold. Don't tell me you went and drenched yourself in the rain before you went home..."

In that instant, the raven nodded once and closed his eyes, sniffling. "I'm sorry..."

Hunith's chocolate-brown eyes only softened that moment, and she embraced her son with warm arms. "Oh, Merlin...there's no need for you to be sorry at all."

The young warlock sniffled again, bundling closer to her.

"...Mum?" he'd murmured, after another moment's silence. "Was it wrong that I told Arthur the truth?"

"You were only trying to help. There's never anything wrong with that."

That instant, Hunith slowly pulled away from him, gazing into his eyes with a small smile. "Besides, isn't that what friends do for each other?"

At that moment, Merlin's face grew rigid, and he raised a hand to wipe his eyes. "But I hurt him, Mum...shouldn't I have just minded my own business?"

Hunith's stare grew soft again. "Telling him lies would have only made things worse," she replied comfortingly. "And you know that, Merlin. You did the right thing to tell him the truth in the first place. Otherwise, in the end...he would have only ended up hurting even more."

The young warlock took a deep breath, then slightly pulled away from his mother. "What can I do now, though? Arthur's mad at me—and he even didn't believe a word I said."

In response, the brunette embraced her son once more, kissing him briefly on his forehead. "Soon enough, he'll come around to realise everything for himself. Isn't he your friend? Two peas in a pod?"

Merlin stirred under his mother's arms, then pulled back and nodded once with a sigh.

"I hope he still is."

~o~

_(Pendragon Manor: The Prince's Chambers) _

"...Arthur?"

At that moment, the blonde stirred by the window, sombrely glancing back to see his dear mother enter the room, a sad but concerned expression set on her face.

"Are you all right, love?" the Queen asked softly as she approached the latter and comfortingly put her arm around his shoulders.

But Arthur only slouched a little, lowering his head onto his arms folded atop the wooden windowsill. "No," he replied curtly, scowling at the glass before him.

That instant, Ygraine sighed, sitting down next to her prince. "Oh, honey..."

"I hate Father so much...I won't forgive him for what he did." The blonde slowly shook his head, taking a deep breath. "He's gone, Mum...it's all my fault. He'd been trying to tell me this whole time, and I didn't even bother to listen."

At that, Mrs. Pendragon's eyes softened, and she shifted closer to him. "You were only doing what you thought was best at the moment. You can't be blamed for trying to defend your father when you loved him."

Arthur let out a sharp exhale, raising his head to look at her. "But Mum, I made him run away..."

Ygraine sighed, embracing her only son. "I'm sure he'll come back," she replied, holding the blonde close. "After all, aren't you two best friends?"

In that instant, the prince gulped. "I don't know if we still are..." he murmured in response.

Her Majesty lowered her eyes, stroking the back of Arthur's hair. "Oh..."

"Do you think he'll ever forgive me?" the young Pendragon asked, pulling back slightly to gaze into his mother's eyes.

"...he will," she replied, placing her hand over the latter's forehead. "If he still wishes to stay with you."

"Mum..." Arthur sighed, looking away from her,

"Come here," Ygraine responded, taking her son into her arms. "If Merlin truly is your best friend, he probably understands how you feel right now—just as you should be able to understand how he feels as well. Maybe if you talk to him later, he'll come around again."

"You really think so?" the prince asked, resting his chin on his mother's shoulder.

"You won't know until you both try," the Queen breathed, pulling her prince back to smile.

At that moment, Arthur smiled at his mother, then got up on his feet. "Thanks. Mum."

Ygraine nodded once, grinning up at her darling son. "Anything to see my little prince happy."

That instant, the blonde chuckled, turning to make his way out of the room, intent on looking for something to cheer his best friend up again.

But that hadn't been until he'd heard a sickening cough from behind and froze immediately in his tracks to whirl around to see his mother leaning on the windowsill with one hand cupped over her mouth, her usually rosy hale complexion suddenly pallid and frail.

Arthur was horrified to see blood streaming through the narrow spaces between her slender fingers as she'd abruptly begun to cough so much more violently.

In a short moment, a few servants came in to help Her Majesty just as she had fallen back to collapse onto the floor.

"Mother!" the prince cried that instant, his eyes wide and mouth gaping.

~o~

Merlin had spent that night outside by the river, contemplating deep in thought as he stared at his reflection under the moonlight, fireflies wandering about just above the water's surface.

"Well, well," a crafty voice had spoken, as soon as a slight breeze had blown by. "Why the long face, young warlock?"

At that moment, the raven raised his head to see Kilgarrah emerge from the cloud of fireflies in front of him, crawling eagerly on top of the river's surface.

The minute he'd finally come within half a foot away from him, Merlin had let out a sigh, looking away from the great reptile.

"It's nothing," he replied glumly, lowering his head to his curled-up knees.

In that instant, Kilgarrah had begun to laugh heartily. "Ah, Merlin—you are indeed, by far, the worst liar I have ever seen. Your nothing ought to mean something in this case," the lizard chortled. "It is all but one trait that leads me to trust you for who you are. Tell me, young warlock," he chuckled. "What seems to be the trouble between you and the young Pendragon this time?"

That moment, the raven exhaled sharply, slowly raising his head up to look at the shimmering green reptile. "Huh—so you already know what happened, then."

At this, Kilgarrah laughed again. "Of course I do. I know all that there is to know, especially if it concerns the ones who shall control this land's future."

Merlin briefly shook his head, rolling his eyes at the lizard. "Then you know that I told Arthur..."

"The very situation itself," the great reptile replied wisely. "What do you plan to do next?"

"...I don't know," the young warlock murmured softly. "I don't know what else to do."

A moment of silence.

"...Kilgarrah?"

"Yes, Merlin?"

There was a brief pause.

"...did you know the dragonlord apprentice who helped found Camelot all those years ago?"

In that instant, the lizard sighed and gradually nodded back. "Why do you ask?"

At that moment, Merlin held his breath, then went on to continue in a curious tone. "Was it hard for the apprentice to tell the prince the truth about his uncle, just like how the legend says?"

Another minute's worth of silence.

"Merlin," Kilgarrah breathed, soon after a short while.

The raven let out a sigh, meeting the latter's gaze.

The reptile had closed his eyes for a second, then looked at him again with a shrewd expression on his face.

"It is never a matter between right and wrong. It is only the difference between what is and...what isn't," he replied. "You only did what you could to provide Arthur with what was, and that is what you must do even after he takes the throne."

"He's angry with me now, though," Merlin spoke in response. "I don't know if he still wants to be my friend anymore." He lowered his eyes, a sad expression forming on his face. "...and I haven't even told him the _whole _truth with that being said...what if he really doesn't accept me for who I really am?"

"He will," Kilgarrah answered. "For it is his destiny. Knowing Arthur's heart at this point, he will eventually accept the truth more so than it already is."

At that moment, the raven frowned, raising his head to look at the great lizard.

The latter let out a sigh. "Listen, young warlock, there will, indeed, come a time where the two of you will come together to experience one of the gravest situations that either of you will have ever known. Soon enough, someone will be put in great danger, and Arthur will have to come to you for help," he stated. "In time, you will see how the truth of your friendship will unfold towards the end, just as how the apprentice had come through with the kind prince."

"What do you mean?" Merlin asked, his eyes wide and eager.

In that instant, Kilgarrah slowly shook his head. "...without a doubt, you remind me entirely of the dragonlord apprentice himself. Not only do you share his magical talents and his unique ability to hear human speech from afar, but you wear the same curious, impatient expression that he did."

"Of course," the raven replied, shrugging at the great reptile. "Why else would we if you weren't so vague?"

The lizard laughed at this comment, stepping out of the river. "Oh, Merlin...your mother has hidden your secret all too well, hasn't she? Have you not realised by now the reality behind the legend of the apprentice?" At that moment, he raised his head up to look closer into the latter's eyes. "Do you not remember the special seed that you were given before leaving what was once your hometown? The same one you planted the moment you had arrived here in this very spot for the first time? "

In that instant, Merlin's face became flustered as he recalled the faint memory from the shadows of his mind.

Of the traumatic night when Ealdor had been attacked...and his father had bid him farewell, leaving something small in his hand as he'd been forced to let go.

The raven closed his eyes, his breath hitching slightly. "No...how does that have anything to do with what's going on right now?"

"Ah...come with me," Kilgarrah chuckled, crawling away from the young warlock to lead him towards the foot of a nearby tree hidden in the bushes.

At that moment, Merlin frowned, following the great reptile into the thick shrubs.

"Behold," the lizard spoke, revealing a small area of tall grass growing at the tree's roots.

In response, the raven swallowed, shifting over beside Kilgarrah to see...none other than a delicate rose growing among the high blades, its petals purely green even as it shone under the moonlight.

He let out a gasp. "But that's—"

It was only that Merlin had truly realised...just who he truly was.

"Master Balinor had entrusted that very seed to you for your personal use when the green rose would become direly needed again," Kilgarrah stated. "All these years, he kept me under this form to guard the latter as it grew, to ensure that you would return to retrieve it once more to help fulfil your upcoming destiny."

At that point, the raven's eyes widened, and he turned to look at the reptile with a gaping mouth. "You mean...you're not—"

"The Great Dragon, at your service," the lizard laughed that instant. "Although I shall no longer be, now that this village is at peace. I am more than happy to stay in this form for the rest of my days, anyhow, since it comes with the convenience of being able to stay hidden from enemies and explore this big world without being detected by several mortals."

Kilgarrah nodded once, turning to gaze at the magical flower.

"This rose is almost at full growth and is the last of its kind, as you can see," he continued. "However, this particular one is different, for it can only be effective on the person the user holds in his heart the most. It is up to you to decide when the right time is to harvest the flower for its...miraculous works, and who to use it on, for you must always remember, young warlock, that once it is plucked, regardless of whom shall do the deed, it will act solely to the needs of its harvester alone. It is the cornerstone of your destiny, Merlin, and once Arthur finally decides to accept his fate, you must or will have reached a decision."

Silence. "...so does this mean...Father's not coming back?"

Soon enough, there was a sigh before the bushes began to rustle with the breeze. "Farewell, young dragonlord," Kilgarrah had spoken. "And may God be with you when that time comes, for I fear that it is near."

In that instant, Merlin turned to see that he had faded into the silver wind.

~o~

_The dragonlord apprentice...my father._

After the air had subsided and the trees were still again, the young warlock had left the green rose where it was, stepping out of the bushes to make his way back home.

_To think Mum would hide this from me for so long...but never mind that now._

He closed his eyes, slowly shaking his head at that moment.

_Arthur's still mad at me, _he thought to himself, as he continued to walk along the path in nonchalance. _What in the world does he expect to happen between us later?_

"Someone in grave danger..." the raven murmured to himself. "Hopefully I won't have to fulfil that 'destiny' _too _soon..."

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh, looking up to stare into the distance as he crossed behind his home to step up towards the front porch.

Although he'd been more than surprised when he'd seen the Duchess of Edinburgh herself—standing in front of his door, about to knock that moment before he'd reached over to give her a small tap on the shoulder.

In an instant, the brunette had held her breath and whirled around to face him with wide, fearful eyes.

"Morgana," Merlin exhaled upon meeting her timid gaze. It had probably been the first time he'd ever seen the latter like this. "What are you doing here?"

At that moment, Morgana had lowered her eyes, looking away from the raven. "Merlin," she whispered softly.

Merlin frowned at her with concern, glancing down at her with a solemn expression.

"...what's wrong?"

The brunette paused for a minute, then closed her eyes and slowly opened her mouth to speak. "It's terrible. Arthur found out about Uncle. He's feeling really bad right now..."

The raven swallowed, his expression rigid that instant.

"Auntie's dying," she exhaled, just above a hushed whisper. Morgana pursed her lips, tentatively raising her head to meet the other's dismal gaze. "Oh, Merlin—please...he needs _you_."

That moment, Merlin winced upon hearing the younger brunette's desperate request.

"Please..." she'd implored, her voice faltering as she'd been on the verge of tears at that point.

By that time, the young warlock had already put his arm around her shoulders in comfort.

"Shh...don't worry. Everything's going to be all right," he murmured softly to her.

Though at that point, he wasn't too sure himself if it really was.

Soon enough, he glanced up to face the manor across the street with a dull, grim expression on his face.

...Merlin was really in for it now.

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **In Too Deep by Genesis

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

At this point, we begin to reach the climax of the story. Next chapter, Arthur and Merlin will really be put to the test, and they'll have to decide for themselves how long they'll keep their friendship alive.

And...yeah—that's about all I can say right now. ^^";

Till then~ ;D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.


	7. Chapter 7: Hello Goodbye

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 7: Hello Goodbye**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO

**Music on My Mind~** Name by the Goo Goo Dolls (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

The end is near.

Just saying. XD

Many thanks to everyone who's been following/reviewing. ^_^

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

They had kept Her Majesty upstairs in the master bedroom since her condition had been very critical at that point, and the doctors had considered it far too dangerous to move her to the emergency room itself.

By the time Merlin had reached Arthur's room, he had already seen the blonde sitting on his bed by the window, his head drooping almost like how a withering flower would. At that moment, Morgana had tugged on the raven's sleeve, and he had glanced down to see her nod once to him before turning to leave him alone in front of the threshold.

Merlin winced as he turned back to look at the prince once more, then took a deep breath and quietly stepped into the room.

At the sound of his light footsteps, Arthur had stirred and raised his head. But he didn't look back once to acknowledge the other's presence.

At that, the raven had stood there in silence, waiting for the slightest possible response from the latter. Then he had sucked in a gulp of air and timidly glanced down at his feet.

"...how's your Mum?" Merlin had begun in a clear, even tone.

No response.

Merlin swallowed deep that instant, then opened his mouth to speak again. "Is she...okay?"

Silence.

After a while, Arthur had merely lowered his head, slowly shaking it in response with a pained expression worn on his hidden face.

At that moment, the raven couldn't help but wince again at him, then tried to speak once more. Though this time, his words had only come out in a hushed murmur.

"...are you still mad at me?" he had asked.

There was a long pause.

That instant, the blonde had let out a small sigh, finally turning around to face the other with his head still hung low.

"...I was never mad at you," Arthur replied in a soft but hoarse voice. "You were only trying to help." He bit his lip. "If there was anyone I was mad at this morning...it was only at myself for not believing the truth."

The prince closed his eyes, his voice sombre at that point. "I'm sorry if I hurt you earlier. I never meant to yell at you like that," he murmured, lips twitching as if he were still trying to search for the right words to say at that moment. But only this came out of his mouth after a minute's worth of waiting:

"Are you mad at me?"

That instant, Arthur had reluctantly looked up to meet his friend's soft, unwavering gaze.

"No," the raven replied, shaking his head at the blonde.

At that, the Pendragon had nodded quietly and lowered his head again, biting his lip once more.

Almost immediately, Merlin had stepped forward to approach Arthur and wrapped his arms around him.

In response, the blonde let out a sigh, returning his embrace and leaning his head on the other's shoulder. "Father wanted me to stay away from you after I found out what he was doing...but I refused to listen. It wasn't fair. None of it was even your fault in the first place," he breathed. "Merlin—I really don't think I deserve to be your friend, especially someone like me..."

The raven slowly shook his head at him, calmly pulling the prince even closer. "That's not true. I'll always be your best friend, no matter what," he replied in a genuine, reassuring tone. Then he shifted back slightly to take the other's finger in his palm and stared straight into his wide eyes that instant, his mouth slowly curving up into a smile. "And I'll never, ever leave your side...unless you tell me to yourself. You know I'll always be here for you, Arthur..." he grinned, giving his finger a gentle squeeze.

At that, Arthur had glanced down at Merlin's hand, gingerly holding his index finger that instant. Then he closed his eyes and smiled himself, slowly bringing his hand up to place it over his best friend's.

~o~

For the next half hour, the two had done nothing but stay inside the prince's bedroom, silently watching the rain fall outside on the windowpane while Morgana had been seated in the back, combing her doll's hair again.

"The doctors said that she'd have a few more days at best," Arthur had spoken in a hushed tone, sadly peering down at the vacant streets outside. "They told us that the least we could do now is just wait and give Mother as much rest as she needs, since it's already far too late to give her anything for treatment."

Merlin glanced over at the blonde, his eyes sympathetic but concerned.

The prince had only shaken his head, turning away from the window to bury his face into his hands, and took a deep breath. "I still can't believe that Father could do such a thing behind her back, especially now that her condition's like this..."

The raven frowned.

Soon, Arthur exhaled sharply, raising his head for a moment to look at his best friend. "It still amazes me, though, that you were able to hear them fighting long before I could."

In that instant, the young warlock had held his breath.

Morgana had stopped brushing her doll's hair and glanced up to smile at the two of them. "How could he not, cousin? Why, he could probably hear anything with ears the size of satellite—"

Immediately she had stopped when the blonde began to sternly narrow his eyes at her.

But Merlin only begun to laugh upon seeing the serious expression on his friend's face at that moment and couldn't help but lightly prod the latter by the shoulder. "Oh, it's all right—lighten up for once, will you?"

At that, the duchess giggled, placing her doll on the bed beside her. "Of course it's just a joke. You don't think I'd really insult Merlin like that, would you?"

In response, Arthur had rolled his eyes at the two and let out a sigh. "Well, you do it to me all the time."

In that instant, the room became filled with laughter again, this time the prince joining along.

Though it wasn't until after a few more minutes when the raven had been the first to cease, his face suddenly solemn towards the blonde beside him.

Immediately, all became silent as they had been before, their eyes directed at once towards the young warlock hanging his head.

That moment, Arthur's expression was filled with concern as he shifted closer towards his best friend.

"What's wrong?"

A pause.

Merlin had closed his eyes briefly, swallowing deep for a minute. Then he tentatively opened his mouth to break the dead silence with a soft, hushed murmur.

"Maybe...it _is _time that you knew the whole truth now."

In that instant, the prince's eyes became slightly perplexed with thought. "What do you mean by that?"

Soon after that, Morgana's countenance had grown apprehensive, and she had quickly sat up on the bed to meet the raven's sad gaze. "Oh, Merlin...you're not talking about—"

The young warlock lowered his head, nodding once with a grimace.

"Yes," he replied in a firm and even tone, biting his own lower lip. He exhaled sharply, raising his gaze to look intently into Arthur's ocean blue irises. "I am."

By that time, it had already stopped raining outside.

~o~

_(Along the usual path)_

"How much further?" Arthur had asked, trailing along a mere few feet behind his best friend.

"Just a little closer," Merlin called over his shoulder, making his way through the tall grass and bushes that surrounded the two of them that instant.

The blonde had let out a sigh, reluctantly proceeding to follow the raven into the shrubs. "What is it you need to show me, anyway?"

Before long, the two had stopped in front of a tall tree, and Merlin had stiffened where he was, his face rigid and slightly fearful.

"...something I should have told you from the very beginning."

At this, Arthur had raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "Huh. All right, then..."

There was a long pause.

Soon, the young warlock had taken a deep breath before turning to look at the other with a grim countenance. "Arthur...before I show you what you're about to see, do you promise you'll still think of me as a normal person?" He winced. "Even if you...wouldn't want to be my friend anymore?"

In that instant, the prince's face had grown solemn. "Is it really that serious?" he replied, his tone a bit apprehensive.

Merlin turned away from him and slowly nodded once. "Yeah."

Another moment's worth of silence.

Then Arthur glanced up at the tree before shifting his gaze back towards the raven. He sighed. "Merlin. I'm sure that whatever it is I'm about to see beyond these bushes will not change a single thing that I already think about you. I mean...come on—after everything we've been through together, you know we'll still be best friends." He paused briefly, his voice now a bit softer. "After all...you've always been there for me, haven't you?"

That instant, the latter turned to look at the blonde with timid eyes.

Arthur lowered his head, continuing just above a hushed whisper. "You were the first to understand me for who I really was." He raised his gaze towards Merlin. "...maybe it's time I did the same for you, too."

At this, the young warlock held his breath, his hands slowly clenching and unclenching into fists. Then he closed his eyes and exhaled sharply.

"You promise that you won't run away?"

The prince took a deep breath. "I promise," he replied in an even tone. With that, he reached over and calmly took the other's finger in his palm. "Now show me what it was that you wanted me to see."

At that moment, Merlin had paused for a few minutes. Then after a while he had finally brought himself to shift over to the side, revealing a delicate but beautiful green rose settled in the tall grass that grew at the foot of the great tree standing before them.

Almost immediately as he quickly recognized the familiar flower, the blonde's breath had hitched, and in an instant, he had moved closer to get a better look at the latter, his eyes widening tenfold as he watched the green rose glimmering majestically under the dim moonlight.

"But...how—" he gasped, his mouth almost gaping at that point.

In that instant, Arthur suddenly turned around to look at the raven, only to see his hand held out towards him, a dazzling ball of light now emanating from his very palm.

At this, the prince had stiffened, until he had carefully raised his gaze to meet two, amber-gold irises shimmering in the dark. Merlin winced as he saw the other's face become rigid, then timidly lowered his eyes to look at the small ball of light resting in his hand.

~o~

Soon, the two of them were sitting near the riverbank, watching as the young warlock played with the magical light that he had made.

At the same time, Arthur had watched the shining sphere, observing as it sank into the dark waters before suddenly reappearing from another part of the river. Then he had swallowed deep, staring down at his feet.

"You mean to tell me that all along, the dragonlord...was your father?"

"Yeah," Merlin replied nonchalantly, effortlessly moving the light towards the trees.

The blonde had thought for a moment, then glanced over at the raven. "So all this time...you've been—"

"Yes."

At that, Arthur nodded once and sighed, closing his eyes. "...I see."

The young warlock let out a sharp exhale, slightly raising his hand to spin the radiant ball up into the air. "Are you mad?"

The prince slowly shook his head. "No—not at all," he replied in a sincere and even tone. "I just wish...you could have told me sooner."

That instant, Merlin had stiffened and dropped the little light deep into the river, quickly ceasing its radiance.

For a moment, it was silent between the two of them.

"...I'm sorry."

Arthur's breath hitched.

The raven lowered his eyes, then looked away from him, his voice now soft and timorous. "It's just that—well...I was afraid."

The blonde's eyes softened that instant before he'd turned to look at his best friend. "But you weren't scared to do anything in front of Morgana?"

Merlin slowly shook his head. "I couldn't do anything to hide what she'd already seen." There was a brief pause. "And it was an accident that she'd gotten caught in my time-frame spell with my brothers and sisters back at the square when you left. There was nothing else to do but give her the whole truth then."

Silence.

At that moment, Merlin sighed, turning to glance at him. "Look—I'm not lying when I say that I don't use magic all that often. Just when I really need it the most, or when I'm not thinking at the very least."

Arthur took a deep breath, turning to meet his best friend's gaze. "...I never said you were," he replied evenly, taking the other's finger in his hand.

The young warlock's eyes softened on him that instant. Then he raised his head to look up at the stars in the night sky and began to speak just above a soft murmur.

"People are always unpredictable when they decide to judge others based on what they see. I mean, that's really what happened with the dragonlo—my father and the villagers."

At that point, the prince's gaze continued to stay upon his best friend beside him.

Merlin paused for a minute, then closed his eyes and hung his head. "It's lonely...to be more powerful than any man you know and have to live like a shadow. To be special and, and have to pretend you're a fool. I've been hiding my powers for...God knows how long now. And all this time...I guess my mum's just been hiding my true identity to protect my feelings and to save me from Camelot's eyes."

Arthur winced at him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "I don't blame either of you."

The raven exhaled sharply, then turned to look at his friend with pained eyes.

In an instant, he found himself lying in the blonde's comforting, almost protective arms. Merlin sniffled, resting his chin on the prince's shoulder.

"...you're not going to tell anyone, are you? Your father?" he whispered softly.

Arthur held his breath, then put his hand in the middle of the other's back.

"Of course not," he murmured in a soft, reassuring voice, holding the other close. "Not in a million years."

~o~

"So...this rose—did you grow it by yourself?"

Merlin shrugged at the blonde as he continued to observe the tiny flower before him. "I guess so," he replied. "But my father was the one who gave me the seed in the first place. I just planted it here when Mum and I first arrived here with my siblings."

At that moment, Arthur smiled, scrutinizing his warm gaze on the delicate green rose. "Huh...it kind of reminds you of the flower the Little Prince left behind in the storybook, doesn't it? Though this one's a lot more special than it looks...are there any more of them around here?"

The raven slowly shook his head. "I'm afraid not." He winced. "That one's actually the last of its kind."

In that instant, the prince's face gradually became sad. "Oh," he responded dismally, lowering his gaze away from the rose.

At that, Merlin's eyes had softened on the latter. "...we can still save her, you know," he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. "We can still help your mum," he finished with a grimace.

In response, Arthur froze and looked up at the raven. "But how?"

For a minute, the young warlock had thought long and hard. "Well...you could take the rose if you want and give it to her."

Immediately, the blonde's expression grew tense, and he abruptly rose to his feet to gaze worriedly at his best friend. "No, Merlin...you said that this is..."

Merlin let out a sigh, closing his eyes that instant. "It's okay. Besides, your mother needs it a lot more than I do."

At that moment, Arthur looked at him, then tentatively glanced over at the green rose, still glimmering under the moonlight.

"...are you sure? What if something happens—"

The raven slowly shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he replied softly. "You love your mum more than anything in the world. I can understand that myself, even if I don't have a father anymore." He paused. "More so, I don't want her to die, either." With that, he raised his gaze to meet the other's. "Take the rose—it'll be fine, I promise."

That instant, the blonde had still been hesitant towards his best friend's wholehearted offer. But in the end, he had brought himself to pick the flower from the tall grass and stood up from where he was with his eyes closed.

Arthur sighed. "Merlin..."

The young warlock listened silently.

There was a long pause. "...you really are one of a kind."

At that, Merlin's eyes had softened.

~o~

Later on that night, as the young warlock had been getting himself settled for bed, he couldn't help but look out his own window and cast a magnifying charm to view the room where Ygraine could be seen lying asleep with Arthur staying vigilantly at his mother's side.

By that time, he had already placed the green rose in the small vase of flowers on the nightstand near them, but the blonde himself had looked more like he was the one who'd been sick.

At that moment, Merlin sighed, then shifted his gaze to get a closer look.

Then all of a sudden, a wise voice could be heard not far from behind him that instant.

"Are you sure you made the right decision in placing the final green rose under the young prince's possession?" Kilgarrah asked as he began to climb onto the raven's nightstand.

There was a pause.

"You know that there is no turning back once that flower is used—"

But Merlin only closed his eyes. "He needs it now more than ever," he cut in, his face solemn at that point. "Her Majesty is already dying as we speak...and it's killing Arthur, too." After that, his voice had begun to falter slightly. "I don't want him to feel the same way I did...when I lost Dad."

In that instant, the great reptile fell silent.

At this, the raven sucked in a gulp of air, then slowly turned to face the lizard with an almost heartbroken countenance. "Kilgarrah?" he began in a reluctant, quavering tone. "He's really not coming back...is he?"

Silence.

The latter had closed his eyes and lowered his head in response, his expression sombre that moment. "I am truly sorry, young warlock."

~o~

That same time, Arthur had still been watching over his mother, his hand gingerly holding hers. He had not slept nor eaten since his arrival from the river with his best friend.

Ygraine had let out a faint moan, slowly opening her eyes to see her darling son half-asleep at her bedside. At that, she had shifted slightly in her position to gaze upon him with soft eyes of concern. "Arthur."

In response, the young prince stirred, tiredly raising his head. "Yes, Mother?"

"...are you not going to bed anytime soon? It's so late, and for you to be still up at this time..."

But Arthur had only yawned at the Queen, placing his head down on the bed again. "It's alright, Mum. I don't want to leave you here by yourself."

In that instant, Ygraine's eyes had softened more on the blonde before she had briefly shifted her gaze over to recognise the green rose her child had brought for her shining dimly in the vase beside her.

Arthur had let out another yawn, then gave his mother's hand a gentle squeeze. "Merlin gave that to me so that I could give it to you to make you feel better," he sighed. "We've already been told so many times that it would do wonders for the people you love..."

At that, the Queen had smiled and calmly put her hand on the other's shoulder. "That's very thoughtful of him...has he forgiven you, Arthur?"

The blonde nodded once, then rested his head again. "Yeah...we're friends again, Mum."

There was a pause.

He swallowed deep and closed his eyes, the next few words soft-spoken. "...have you forgiven Father?"

No response.

Ygraine hesitated for a minute, then stroked her son's hair back. "For a long time now I have," she replied softly, looking at the young prince. "He doesn't realise it yet, but no matter what, I've already pardoned him for everything that I know deep in my heart that he never meant to do.

Silence.

"Have you forgiven him as well?"

That instant, Arthur's breath had hitched slightly. "...I don't know yet," he responded in a hushed whisper.

At this, Her Majesty nodded quietly. "I understand," she replied, glancing out the window to stare up at the night sky. "But remember this, my little prince: he loves you and me too much to have any intent in purposely bringing harm to us just for his sake. The final choice is always up to you."

Suddenly, the blonde tensed and raised his head from the bed, his face a bit incredulous. "Mother—he _lied_ to us—"

"Everybody makes mistakes," Ygraine murmured. "Even your father, once in a while. We are only human, after all. Nobody's perfect."

In that instant, Arthur let out a small sigh and lowered his gaze to the floor.

The Queen exhaled sharply before shifting her eyes over towards the Emrys home just across the street from them. "Besides...I'm sure Merlin thought of that as well in the moments where you two had been apart for such a long time." She was silent for a minute as she turned back to glance over at the green rose near them. "See how much he really cares for you?" she asked softly, looking down to meet her beloved son's gaze. "It's almost a surprise that you two aren't brothers."

The blonde's eyes softened almost immediately.

Ygraine gave a warm smile, then moved her hand to the latter's chin. "You can even see it in his eyes...that same look of burden I always tend to see in yours, my little prince. That desperate urge to be accepted by the world revolving around you..."

At that moment, Arthur held his breath.

"...it is like the both of you are two sides of the same coin," she finished, kissing him on the forehead. "So long as this earth continues to turn, you may as well be the only people in the world who can truly be able to understand each other for who you both are. Stay at his side for me, love, huh?"

The blonde tensed slightly, then closed his eyes and let out a sharp exhale. "...Mum?"

"Yes, Arthur?"

"...you're not going to leave me, right?"

For a moment, the room had grown silent.

In response, Ygraine had glanced down at her child with eyes filled with sadness. But then she took him into her arms and embraced him with all her heart. "I love you, dear—so, so, so much that I would never, ever dream of leaving you behind. But you know what?" she asked, gazing intently into the young Pendragon's eyes.

He swallowed deep. "What?"

At that, the Queen's eyes grew warm that instant. "The ones that love us...never really leave us," she murmured. "You can always find them...in here," she finished, placing her hand over where the other's heart resided.

In that instant, Arthur's eyes softened on his mother. He winced, then immediately wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Mother..." he whispered, sucking in a gulp of air. "Please get better soon..."

Ygraine closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "I'll always love you, my little prince."

~o~

Soon enough, when the two of them had finally fallen asleep, Merlin had decided to visit the room to check and see if everything had been all right as it should be. But first, he had cast a time-frame spell over the place, then turned to see the green rose still intact on the nightstand beside mother and son.

At first, the raven was relieved to see Arthur's mother peaceful and relaxed beside her son that instant. However, when he had reached over to touch her hand, he tensed immediately when he had noticed that it was cold as ice.

That moment, Merlin quickly shrank back in horror, his eyes wide with disbelief. _But how could this be? Why hasn't it... _At that, he became flustered, his eyes darting frantically from Her Majesty to the rose beside them.

_The rose didn't do anything...she's about to die..._

Before long, he was standing motionless in the room with his hands on his head, trying to remember anxiously if he possibly knew any healing spells that could be put to some use at that point in order to buy _some_ time...

But that had not been until Her Majesty had calmly reached over to take his hand into her palm, in spite of the time-frame spell itself, for magic had no power over death.

In that instant, Merlin had stiffened where he was, and looked at the Queen with sad, weary eyes. "Your Majesty, I..."

Ygraine smiled at the raven, then turned to look at the sleeping blonde next to her. "I am deeply grateful to you for being such a good friend to Arthur, Merlin. And the same most definitely goes...for what you have decided to sacrifice just for my sake," she spoke, turning to glance over at the green rose between the two of them.

The young warlock's eyes softened on her that instant.

"But I am well aware of your intention for me—as well as the purpose of this very flower, for I knew your mother and father long before you were even born. And I'm afraid that this rose...is not truly meant for me, love. I am not the only one that Arthur holds in his heart right now," the Queen continued, shifting her gaze towards Merlin.

At that, the raven had been nothing more than speechless to what he could possibly say that moment.

But then Ygraine had given his hand a gentle squeeze, and he had looked up from his reverie to stare solemnly into her dim, sapphire blue irises. "Listen to me well, young one, when I say that...it is no longer my destiny on this earth to stay here with my son...and his father, who I have already long forgiven at this point."

In response, Merlin nodded once and swallowed. Then Her Majesty went on in a calm, hushed tone.

"Through my eyes, you are indeed the only one in this world who could possibly share the same genuine feelings as the little prince himself..." she continued, glancing over at Arthur for a brief minute before closing her eyes. "...as he also understands the similar burden that he knows in his heart that you still continue to bear for him."

The latter's breath hitched.

That instant, she sighed softly, gingerly holding the raven's hand. "Merlin—I am entrusting you to watch over him for me...please..." she breathed. "He will need a hand to hold—a voice to guide him later on. Someone to help him find a purpose just as I know you continue to seek for yourself..." She cleared her throat, staring intently into the young warlock's eyes. "As his friend, I beg of you...not to leave his side even once."

At that point, Ygraine's face was pale, and Merlin was sad to feel the light begin to leave her eyes much as he had known. With this, he had held back a sob and nodded once to the Queen, struggling to hold back the tears that had begun to roll down both of his cheeks.

In response, Her Majesty gave a small smile before finally closing her eyes to breathe one last time. "Thank you...love..."

Soon after that, her arm had gone limp, and the raven had listened sadly as her heart had cease beating. Then, when all was quiet, he had let go of Ygraine's hand, slowly placing it on top of her stomach.

At the same time, as he started to back away from the bed, the spell had directly begun to wear off and time continued as it should have.

Arthur stirred beside his beloved mother and sighed, rubbing his eyes.

But immediately, the raven became fearful and quickly cloaked himself with an invisibility charm, disappearing from sight that instant.

The prince let out a yawn, then sat up to look at Ygraine as she was at that point—lifeless...and cold.

"...Mother?" the young Pendragon murmured, gently shaking the Queen's shoulder.

No response.

At that moment, Arthur's eyes widened, and he shook his mother's shoulder even more, now frantic and distraught. "Mother!" he cried, his hand trembling that instant.

Tears were still coming down from Merlin's cheeks as he left the Pendragon Manor and swiftly made his way back home unnoticed by the servants and bodyguards present. Why, even as he hastily crawled back, the young warlock could still hear his best friend's anguish as he pulled the sheets over his very head.

And from that point, he began to cry as well, slowly shaking his head and closing his eyes to let out a choked sob.

_Why? Why did this have to happen?_

~o~

The next day, Arthur had avoided Merlin at all costs. But the raven himself had respected that in consideration of the lament the young Pendragon had obviously still been feeling over the loss of his beloved mother.

That afternoon, he had done nothing but run out to the river through the usual path and threw rocks into the water to let out his own sorrow, forlornly looking back at the empty spot where the green rose once stood.

After a while, Merlin had let out a sigh and slowly shook his head from side to side, for he knew himself at that point...that Arthur would not talk to him for days.

And it wasn't until the week had passed did the raven finally decide to confront the grieving blonde...one stormy morning.

~o~

From his bedroom window, Merlin could see that it was definitely raining hard outside, the clouds dark and the wind as fierce as could be. But that would not stop him from seeing his beloved friend, for otherwise it would all be too late. He had no choice.

Much to the young warlock's surprise, there had been two large moving trucks parked in front of the Pendragon Manor, and numerous servants could be seen on the sidelines carrying various cardboard boxes. This had only meant one thing to him that point: that the King and his family were going away—for _good_.

The fact alone had already alarmed poor Merlin himself, though he had not quite noticed the small police car stationed behind the enormous trucks. The raven had already been more than halfway down the steps when Molly had stopped him from leaving through the front door.

"Mum said you can't go there today. It's too dangerous now, Merlin."

At that moment, he had frozen right in his tracks and turned to face his sibling with a grim expression on his face. "And why's that? Where is she, anyway?"

Molly hesitated for a minute, then lowered her eyes to the floor, speaking in a hushed murmur. "She's straightening things out with His Majesty himself. There are police officers investigating his home," she spoke before pausing again. After that, she'd swallowed deep and looked intently into her brother's eyes. "The King found out about the rose and how you snuck into the manor the other night...using _magic_."

Dead silence.

"Brother—he's _accusing_ you for Queen Ygraine's death."

In an instant, the raven's face had grown even more rigid. He let out a sharp exhale, then turned away from the brunette with wide eyes and a grimace. "But I didn't do any of the sort," he replied solemnly that moment. He bit his bottom lip, then looked up at his younger sister. "Arthur's mother passed away on her own due to natural causes. I saw it with my own eyes. You've got to believe me, Molly. None of it was my fault, and magic had nothing to do with it, I swear."

There was a long pause. "...so you did sneak into the manor last night."

"But I didn't kill her," the young warlock responded. "I only went to check on Arthur...to see if he and his mother were alright. The green rose didn't work...I couldn't let him watch her die. All I did was a small time-frame spell and an invisibility charm to keep me hidden..."

_I became the one to see her on the verge of death instead, _he desolately thought to himself, wincing.

"Brother, that's what they're looking at right now," Molly answered in a worried tone. "You still used magic. They're checking to see if you did anything else while on those lines."

Merlin sighed. "What? You think I did something?"

"Of course not," the other replied. "But His Majesty thinks so, and he's already obtained a few witnesses—servants and maids who managed to catch brief glimpses of you sneaking into and out of the master bedroom..."

At that moment, the raven nodded quietly and closed his eyes, hanging his head. "...and Arthur? Has he said anything?" he murmured softly.

In response, Molly frowned and slowly shook her head. "No."

With that, Merlin exhaled sharply. "I see." He paused, then turned to make his way to the front door. But that was when the brunette immediately ran over to grab his arm.

"Where are you going?" she asked worriedly, trying to hold his older brother back.

In that instant, the raven pursed his lips and spoke in an even tone. "He's hurt—I have to see him. I don't care what the King says."

At this, the other's eyes had widened tenfold. "But they'll catch you!" she cried back, her grip now firm on him. "Uther's guards are out there—"

The young warlock only shook his head. "Then let them be," he replied nonchalantly, placing his hand on the doorknob.

Click. "Merlin, please! Don't be too hasty!" Molly begged desperately.

_Slam_. "I've already lost Dad, alright!"

Suddenly, the room grew silent.

By that time, the brunette had already embraced him from behind. At that, Merlin's eyes were bleak, staring aimlessly at the floor. "I don't want to lose Arthur, too..." he spoke in a choked whisper.

Molly's expression grew solemn. "Merlin, I..."

The raven closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. "You knew all along it was Father, didn't you? Mum and everyone else but me..."

At that moment, the other had winced, loosening her grasp on him that instant.

"...we were just trying to protect you," she murmured softly. "We didn't want you to get hurt."

Merlin sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled sharply. "You never had to do that for me, Molly. Father wanted _me _to protect you all, not the other way around," he replied, his voice slightly bitter at that point.

The brunette held back a sob, tears beginning to roll down her pale cheeks. "Brother...I'm sorry..."

At that point, tears welled up under the raven's eyes as well. But soon enough, he brought himself to shake his sister off his back and ran headlong out into the rainy streets.

~o~

By that time, all had already gone inside to dry off from the inclement weather, so it wasn't hard for Merlin to sprint across the street to ring the doorbell to the mansion before him.

"Arthur?" the young warlock cried, glancing through the window in desperation. "It's me, Merlin. Open up."

It hadn't been until after a few minutes of waiting did the door open to reveal a sleep-deprived, stern Uther Pendragon glaring down at him with intent eyes. "What do you want now?" he asked in a harsh tone.

At that moment, Merlin gulped, stepping back from the doorway a little. "Is...is Arthur home?"

But the King had only sighed, slowly shaking his head at him in response. "I have no obligation to answer that question, boy, for you should not even be here in the first place. You have been absolutely nothing more than a bad influence to my son ever since the moment he met you, and for the last time, I will ask that you leave my property this instant, or face the consequences I shall bring upon you and your family."

At this, the raven had backed away with wide eyes. "Sir, I..."

"_You_ have already done enough. If you do not leave now," Uther barked, his eyes still intent on him. "I will have both you and your mother arrested for obstruction—no more questions asked." With that, he stepped back into the foyer and shut the door in front of him.

In that instant, Merlin did nothing but stand helplessly out in the pouring rain, staring at the door with pained eyes.

But that had not been until he had seen Morgana run out from the back and run up the steps to meet him herself.

"Merlin," she spoke solemnly, taking the young warlock's hand and looking up at him with a serious expression. "...Arthur ran away."

At that moment, the raven froze, slowly letting go of her hand. "What..."

He'd looked away for a minute, then immediately ran off towards the only place he only knew where his friend could be at that point.

~o~

As soon as Merlin had reached the river, the blonde could already be seen standing near the water, faint, bitter tears rolling down both his cheeks as he clutched a small green rose in his hands that instant.

At this, the raven's eyes had softened, and without thinking even once, he began to approach the grieving prince.

But as Arthur heard the latter's light footsteps in the rain and noticed his presence, all that he had done was look down at the flower with disdain and speak to the young warlock in a cold, impassive tone.

"It didn't work."

In that instant, Merlin had stopped in his tracks and swallowed deep, raising an arm to comfort the blonde before him. "Arthur...I..."

The Pendragon only exhaled sharply and abruptly turned away from him. "Stay away from me," he replied through clenched teeth.

At that, the raven began to feel hurt inside, lowering his head to stare forlornly at the wet grass. "I'm really sorry," he spoke, just above a hushed whisper.

No response.

"I know that you loved your Mum a lot, and I understand how much it hurts for you to lose her like this...but I promise you I thought of everything I could to try and save her..."

Arthur slowly shook his head and closed his eyes in agony.

At that moment, Merlin stared at him with pained eyes.

But then the prince sucked in a gulp of air and exhaled sharply. There was a pause. "It's okay," he replied in that same emotionless voice. "We're leaving today, anyway. You don't have to worry about me."

The raven held his breath and listened with a rigid countenance.

Soon, the blonde had raised his head to stare out into the distance, but he didn't look back at him even once. "Father's decided to take Mother back home to London," he breathed. "He's taking Morgana and me with him, too. We're all staying there for good this time..."

At this, a cord was struck inside the other's heart.

Arthur swallowed deep, then clenched his hands into tight fists. "Hopefully by then I'll have forgotten you, Merlin," he spoke in a cold, acid tone. "Everything that leads me back...to the day we ever met each other."

In that instant, the young warlock winced as a jolt of pain had begun to sear through him, causing his breath to falter for just a few seconds. But he didn't make a sound and hung his head to hide the immense anguish that he'd been enduring at that point.

Before long, Merlin had taken a deep breath before speaking to the blonde in a choked, agonized whisper. "So you're saying...you really going to sever our friendship here—just like this?"

Arthur paused for a minute, then lowered his head in deafening silence.

"Forget me..." the raven mumbled, bitter tears welling up under his eyes. "...like I never did anything for you, Arthur?"

No response.

At this, Merlin quietly nodded once, holding back a sob. "All right. If that's what you want...I understand perfectly," he sniffled, stumbling away from the blonde. "If it's really like that, then...I hope I forget you, too.

Suddenly, the prince's face grew rigid, and he stiffened where he was.

The young warlock sucked in a gulp of air, then continued, wet tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "Maybe it's better this way...so that it won't hurt anymore when I stop thinking about you...the way I've always done up to now."

In that instant, the blonde's eyes widened tenfold.

"Goodbye, Arthur..."

Merlin let out a choked sob, then quickly turned and ran off into the woods without another word.

At that moment, Arthur let out a sharp exhale, remorsefully glancing back to look after the raven as he rushed headlong into the trees behind him. "Merlin...I..."

With much regret, he clenched his teeth and stood there in complete silence.

"_So long as this earth continues to turn, you may as well be the only people in the world who can truly be able to understand each other for who you both are," _his mother's words began to echo in his ears that instant.

The prince pressed his mouth into a tight line, then immediately ran after his beloved best friend.

The friend...who'd always been there for him ever since the very beginning.

"Merlin!" Arthur called, sprinting after the young raven.

~o~

Merlin ran as fast as he could through the small forest, tears of anguish continuing to fall from his cheeks.

At the same time, the blonde was still rushing after the latter, trying desperately to catch up him as much as he could.

"Merlin! Wait!"

The young warlock sniffled, slowly shaking his head with his eyes closed, for he dared not to look back even once at the prince.

At this, Arthur exhaled sharply, just barely avoiding a stray tree branch from out of the blue. But then he clenched his fists and began to run even faster.

"MERLIN!" the Pendragon cried, his voice echoing through the woods that instant.

Before long, they'd ultimately reached the very end of the path, the two of them sprinting headlong into the middle of the street.

And soon, Arthur had reached his best friend, grabbing the raven's arm and swiftly holding him back. But Merlin had only cried in protest and struggled desolately to shake the latter off.

At that point, the blonde kept his grip steadfast on him and screamed all but a few words at the top of his lungs.

"Look at me!"

Immediately, all had grown silent, and the young warlock had whirled around to meet the other's persistent gaze.

In an instant, Arthur froze right where he was, his mouth gaping as he finally saw for the first time...the agonizing burden itself embedded within Merlin's intent ocean blue eyes...

But suddenly, reality had taken its toll on both when they had seen Molly rushing down the front steps, frantically waving her arms at them with an expression of alarm on her face.

"Merlin! Arthur!" the brunette shrieked, her eyes wide and bulging with fear. "Watch out!"

Soon after that, a shrill blare filled the air around them, and the two had turned around to see a pair of headlights speeding straight towards them...

At that moment, both had just stood there, motionless and shocked.

However, in the end, the young warlock had shifted his gaze over to his best friend, his own eyes gleaming amber-gold...

_Beep!_

...and without question, shoved the blonde-haired prince out of harm's way.

Thud.

~o~

It was only then that I truly realised...just what Merlin had been carrying inside him this whole time.

And I had even felt the agony itself the minute that I looked into his eyes, as if it were a jolt of electricity running right through me...

But that hadn't been until—

"Merlin! Arthur! Watch out!"

_Beep!_

In an instant, I found myself flying towards the side of the street, only to catch a single glimpse of Merlin's bright golden eyes...and then, before I knew it, I watched in horror as the car crashed headlong into my best friend.

Soon after that, I had hit the sidewalk, and everything went black.

~o~

It wasn't until a few minutes past when I finally managed to wake up in a slight daze, my head pounding hard as I tried to stand.

_What happened... _I thought dimly to myself, my arms and legs aching beyond belief.

But suddenly, there was a soft moan from a few feet across from me, and then I heard a weak voice calling my name.

"Arthur..."

Immediately, I held my breath. _Merlin._

Hurriedly, I struggled to my knees and raised my head to see him lying there, crumpled and frail on the black pavement before me.

In an instant, I had shifted over to his side, anxiously reaching my arm out to take his pale, bloodstained hand in mine.

"Merlin!"

The both of us were soaking wet. Tears were streaming down his cheeks that moment, his sapphire blue eyes now faint and dull as the stormy clouds above us.

The rain continued to fall.

"Arthur..." Merlin whimpered faintly, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "It hurts..."

I sucked in a gulp of air, my hand trembling as I held his as close to me as I possibly could. "Merlin..." I murmured painfully, a lump beginning to form in the middle of my throat.

Soon, there was a rumble of thunder, and he fell unconscious before I could say anything more.

At that moment, my eyes had widened in horror. "Merlin—Merlin!" I cried, frantically shaking his hand that instant. But the latter remained inert, his face all but expressionless.

"Help!" I began to shout, instinctively half-raising myself to my feet. "Please! Somebody help!"

But before I knew it, Mrs. Emrys had already rushed over, sobbing as she cradled her son in her arms, and someone from behind had pulled me away, taking me by the arm.

"No! Let me go!" I yelled, trying to wriggle out of the servant—or guard's firm grasp. "He needs me—"

That hadn't been until I'd realised it was Leon holding me back for my own safety and injuries. I let out a sniffle and watched helplessly as Molly and the others approached their mother, kneeling beside their beloved brother in tears.

Even Morgana had begun to cry at that point, and sniffled as she looked at one of Father's servants with an icy glare.

"Well, what are you standing over there for?" she'd spat out at him. "Call an ambulance, for goodness sake!"

~o~

**Music on My Mind~** Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls (don't own—even though I probably used this already in another story, I couldn't help but see how it fits more in this one as well... XD)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Review? ^^";_

First things first, I promise you all that Merlin is _not _dead. In fact, next chapter there's actually be a whole miracle that'll save his life then (involving Arthur and a certain rose TTwTT).

Hope you enjoyed so far~ I didn't mean to make any of you cry if you did... *blows nose* It already broke _my _heart having to write out this whole thing. X"D But that's similarly what happened in the_ original _story that happened in real life (The one I may have mentioned previously with the two girls. =w="). One died, the other went on living in regret, but I definitely won't be so heartless as to kill Merlin like that—I wouldn't take it.

Till then, loves~! We're almost at the end! =^_^=

.::.*~Kit Shadow*~.::.


	8. Chapter 8: First Love

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 8: First Love**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO

**Music on My Mind~** I Never Told You by Colbie Caillat (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

All right, guys—last chapter'll be after this one! ;D

Oh—and just in case if any of you forgot or didn't quite catch way in the beginning: Arthur—age 11, Merlin—age 9, Morgana—age 7, Molly—age 6 ½ (Merlin's other siblings—ages 2-5)

Also:

-Yes—along with the official blooper reel, I've seen the SDCC Merlin Season 4 Trailer where Percival's seen carrying Merlin with Arthur walking beside him... TT_TT A very brief recreation of that scene may be involved/fixed to this story (don't own). (Yeah—can't wait for Season 4, either. XD)

-An excerpt from Chapter 26 of _The Little Prince _is included (don't own).

-_Code Blue_ =_ Cardiac Arrest/Need for Immediate Resuscitation_ (at least in some hospitals today)

-One scene from here's been extended in tribute to one of my favourite movies: _Flatliners _(don't own). You might obviously recognise which one's been modified later. XD

Think that's about it. Thanks again to all followers & reviewers. ^_^

Enjoy~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

Soon after, a group of paramedics had finally arrived to take us to the emergency room.

Quickly, Leon had picked me up in his arms to carry me over that instant, and I watched dismally as Percival, one of Father's other guards, carefully laid Merlin out on a nearby stretcher.

We reached the hospital in less than a few minutes.

~o~

It wasn't long before the doctors had finished taking care of me, since my injuries were only minor and easier for them to patch up.

But when they left me in my room to get some rest, I couldn't help but listen silently as the doctor stayed out in the hall to talk to Mrs. Emrys, the expression on his face dull and solemn.

"_How is he, Gaius? Please tell me that my son's going to be all right..."_

To my surprise, they spoke as if they'd already known each other for a long time.

There was a long pause, then a sharp exhale from the doctor. _"Merlin's condition is not too critical, as his vital signs were perfectly unharmed when we checked, all thanks to that special gift of his that managed to save his life and His Highness just before being hit by that car."_

At this, I'd let out a small sigh of relief.

"_...but I'm afraid that he is not quite out of harm's way, considering that his body has not been responding to any of our treatments lately." _Dr. Gaiustook a deep breath before continuing in a softer tone. _"For he has instead fallen comatose at this point, and it is unknown to us yet as to when the boy will wake up." _

In that instant, all became silent, and I'd realised I was holding my breath.

"_We can only hope and pray that it will be soon," _he'd finished. _"Even doctors believe in miracles, Hunith."_

I'd slowly opened my eyes to see Mrs. Emrys crying in the hall, the doctor trying to reassure her by placing a hand on her shoulder.

Then my eyes became sombre at the sight, before I'd finally brought myself to glance over into the next room—to see Merlin lying there in his bed, unconscious and inert, with his siblings gathered around him watching vigilantly with morose expressions as they waited longingly for their eldest brother to awaken.

I winced as Molly picked Helen up to let her kiss him on the cheek, then turned away from the glass to stare down at my sheets.

At that moment, Leon had approached me from the front of the room and knelt down at my bedside with slight concern on his face. "Is everything all right, my lord?" he murmured softly.

I sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled sharply. "I'm fine—don't worry about me."

Leon nodded once and quietly got up to return to his post.

But then a thought came into my head, and immediately, I opened my mouth to stop him in his tracks.

"Wait," I tried to speak in an even tone. In response, the guard turned to glance back at me. I raised my head at that point, looking intently into his eyes. "...it's a bit stuffy in this room, actually. Can you go into the hall with me to get some air?"

At that, his expression became nonchalant, and he walked over to my side without saying a word.

By that time, I knew that Leon had seen right through my mask of emotion and understood.

~o~

When Arthur stepped out into the corridor, there had been no one but Morgana sitting on one of the chairs on the sides, her arms wrapped around her shoulders.

At that moment, the blonde's eyes had softened, and he had calmly approached her at once, taking a seat beside his younger cousin.

The duchess sniffled a little, slightly raising her head to look up at him, then glanced back down at her feet. "Uncle's just making arrangements with Daddy—that's why we're waiting here for such a long time." She paused, holding back a small sob. "Arthur..." she wept, wiping a tear from her eye, her voice faltering that instant. "I really don't want to leave them like this...I don't want Merlin to..."

At this, Arthur winced, holding the latter in his arms. "Shh...I know," he murmured softly to the brunette.

Morgana hiccupped once, then took a deep breath. "...but it's not fair. None of it was his fault," she sniffed, her expression now composed, though her eyes had become intent. "Merlin's got to get better no matter what," she whispered, looking up at the children gathered around the raven.

At that moment, the prince sighed and raised his head to glance over in the same direction as his cousin, his expression rigid as he stared as his best friend.

But then he noticed his cousin shift over slightly and turned his gaze to see her dig inside her bag before pulling out a familiar book and placing it onto her lap.

In that instant, the blonde's breath stilled.

"...we were supposed to finish it together that day," the brunette mumbled quietly, holding _The Little Prince_ gingerly in her hands, "When we were supposed to have the best play date ever."

Arthur's eyes softened in response, desolately looking at the page where he'd remembered they'd last left off. But now Merlin would not be there to read the last two chapters of the story with them, for both had known that it would only be a small matter of time before their parents would arrive to bring them back to London.

Upon reaching the very idea, the prince let out a sigh, putting his hand over Morgana's.

"Well...do you want to try and finish it before Father and Uncle get back?"

Immediately, the duchess had stiffened where she was. "But cousin—"

Arthur lowered his gaze, then bleakly glanced up into the raven's room. "Look—he may not be awake to read from the book itself...but at least he's still here with us now," he spoke in a comforting tone.

There was a long pause.

Morgana swallowed and looked at her cousin with sad eyes. Then she stared down at the book and slowly nodded once, shifting part of it on the latter's lap.

"...okay," she replied just above a hushed whisper.

At that moment, the blonde sucked in a gulp of air and paused for a minute. Then he glanced down at the page to begin reading from the area they'd left off from.

It hadn't been long, though, until his voice had begun to falter gradually...after he'd realised that they'd reached his least favourite part of all—the scene where the little prince would be bitten by the yellow snake.

~o~

_"'You have good poison? You are sure that it will not make me suffer too long?'" _Arthur read softly, wincing.

"_I stopped in my tracks, my heart torn asunder; but still I did not understand._

'_Now go away.' said the little prince. 'I want to get down from the wall.'_

_I dropped my eyes, then, to the foot of the wall—and I leaped into the air. There before me, facing the little prince, was one of those yellow snakes that take just thirty seconds to bring your life to an end. Even as I was digging into my pocket to get out my revolver I made a running step back. But, at the noise I made, the snake let himself flow easily across the sand like the dying spray of a fountain, and, in no apparent hurry, disappeared, with a light metallic sound, among the stones. _

_I reached the wall just in time to catch my little man in my arms; his face was white as snow. _

'_What does this mean?' I demanded. 'Why are you talking with snakes?' _

_I had loosened the golden muffler that he always wore. I had moistened his temples, and had given him some water to drink. And now I did not dare ask him any more questions. He looked at me very gravely, and put his arms around my neck. I felt his heart beating like the heart of a dying bird, shot with someone's rifle…_

'_I am glad that you have found what was the matter with your engine,' he said. 'Now you can go back home—' _

'_How do you know about that?' _

_I was just coming to tell him that my work had been successful, beyond anything that I had dared to hope. _

_He made no answer to my question, but he added: _

'_I, too, am going back home today…' _

_Then, sadly— _

'_It is much farther... It is much more difficult... _

_I realized clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him… _

_His look was very serious, like someone lost far away. _

'_I have your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle...'_

_And he gave me a sad smile. _

_I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little. _

'_Dear little man,' I said to him, 'you are afraid...'"_

At this point, Arthur held his breath, and Morgana had instantly looked at her cousin, continuing to read from the marked spot with a grim countenance.

"_He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly," _she spoke evenly.

'_I shall be much more afraid this evening...'_

_Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert. _

'_Little man,' I said, 'I want to hear you laugh again.'_

_But he said to me: _

'_Tonight, it will be a year... My star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago...' _

'_Little man,' I said, 'tell me that it is only a bad dream—this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star...' _

_But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: _

'_The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen…' _

'_Yes, I know…' _

'_It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers...' _

'_Yes, I know…' _

'_It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember—how good it was.' _

'_Yes, I know…' _

'_And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens . . . they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present…'"_

She stopped when Arthur abruptly cleared his throat.

"_He laughed again," _the blonde read painfully in a dismal tone.

'_Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!' _

'_That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water…' _

'_What are you trying to say?' _

'_All men have the stars,' he answered, 'but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travellers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You-you alone-will have the stars as no one else has them—' _

'_What are you trying to say?' _

'_In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night… You—only you—will have stars that can laugh!' _

_And he laughed again. _

'_And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure… And your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, "Yes, the stars always make me laugh!" And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you…'_

_And he laughed again. _

'_It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh…' _

_And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious: _

'_Tonight—you know… Do not come.'"_

By that time, a lump had formed in the Pendragon's throat as the light laughter of his own best friend that had echoed so much throughout the corners of his mind now began to gradually fade away.

"'_I shall not leave you,' I said. _

'_I shall look as if I were suffering. I shall look a little as if I were dying. It is like that. Do not come to see that. It is not worth the trouble…'"_

_"'I shall not leave you.'" _Morgana read.

"_But he was worried. _

'_I tell you—it is also because of the snake. He must not bite you. Snakes—they are malicious creatures. This one might bite you just for fun…'"_

_"'I shall not leave you.'" _Arthur cut in immediately, looking at his younger cousin.

"_But a thought came to reassure him: _

'_It is true that they have no more poison for a second bite.'_

From that point, Morgana had recognised the solemn expression on the blonde's face and finally left him to read the rest of the chapter on his own, glancing at him with sombre eyes.

"_That night I did not see him set out on his way. He got away from me without making a sound. When I succeeded in catching up with him he was walking along with a quick and resolute step. He said to me merely: _

'_Ah! You are there...'_

_And he took me by the hand. But he was still worrying. _

'_It was wrong of you to come. You will suffer. I shall look as if I were dead; and that will not be true...'"_

Arthur swallowed deep, his voice now hoarse.

"_I said nothing. _

'_You understand...it is too far. I cannot carry this body with me. It is too heavy.' _

_I said nothing. _

'_But it will be like an old abandoned shell. There is nothing sad about old shells...' _

_I said nothing. _

_He was a little discouraged. But he made one more effort: _

'_You know, it will be very nice. I, too, shall look at the stars. All the stars will be wells with a rusty pulley. All the stars will pour out fresh water for me to drink...'_

_I said nothing. _

'_That will be so amusing! You will have five hundred million little bells, and I shall have five hundred million springs of fresh water...'_

_And he too said nothing more, because he was crying..._

'_Here it is. Let me go on by myself.'_

_And he sat down, because he was afraid. Then he said, again: _

'_You know—my flower...I am responsible for her. And she is so weak! She is so naïve! She has four thorns, of no use at all, to protect herself against all the world...' _

_I too sat down, because I was not able to stand up any longer. _

'_There now—that is all...' _

_He still hesitated a little; then he got up. He took one step. I could not move."_

The blonde paused, the last few words no more than a choked whisper.

"_There was nothing but a flash of yellow close to his ankle. He remained motionless for an instant. He did not cry out. He fell as gently as a tree falls. There was not even any sound, because of the sand..."_

At that, Arthur had winced, wearily turning to the next page. But that was when Morgana had finally put her hand over his to stop him, and the prince had looked up to see that there had been pain in her eyes as well, especially when she'd peered towards the room where their best friend reposed.

~o~

After what seemed like more than a few hours later, night had fallen, and Arthur had half-heartedly turned to see his younger cousin sound asleep beside him, her head leaning on his right shoulder. Then he raised his head to glance across the hall, through the glass of the window to the raven's room, where he could see Merlin's siblings still surrounding him, resting on whatever part they could get from their brother's bed.

In that instant, the blonde's gaze had softened, and he carefully rose to his feet, shifting Morgana's head over to lie on top of her backpack instead. After that, he moved across the corridor until he'd found his palms pressed up against the cold window, his breathing soft but gradual as he peered into the room to look at his best friend's face, tranquil as it was.

Then Arthur had closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the glass as Merlin's voice began to resound in his head again, the many memories he'd had the young warlock instantly flooding through his mind.

~xXx~

_"Huh. You could say that you could have all the friends in the world...just like how a man could grow as many roses as he wants to..." _He'd paused before shifting his gaze towards the prince._ "But to me—well, I guess it's true that no matter how you go about it, it'll always be the ones you truly cared about in the end..."_

_"I mean...it's not like I don't already think of you as a brother, too. You've probably been the one person I've actually spent the most time with in __one __day."_

~x~

_"They all laughed at me, didn't they? Even after I left?"_

_"...they didn't have any right to treat you like that."_

_"But they had __every__ right to go and judge me back there for who I was, Merlin!"_

_No response._

_"See...this is why I don't like going out in public all that much especially when I'm around people I don't even know… You have absolutely no idea how much I wanted to punch that kid __so__ much back there when I couldn't... Everyone's a critic. Never again."_

"_No, they're not."_

_Pause._

_"At least...not __everyone __is."_

_"__Merlin—don't tell me that you..."_

_"But I did, Arthur. __I went and stood up to all three of them after you ran off."_

_"...what? You did that...for me?"_

_"But...why?"_

_"__Anything for you, Arthur. I mean...you are my friend after all."_

~x~

_"If there ever comes a time when we can't be together...keep me in your heart, I'll stay there forever."_

~x~

"_I'll always be your best friend, no matter what. And I'll never, ever leave your side...unless you tell me to yourself. You know I'll always be here for you, Arthur..."_

~x~

_"So you're saying...you really __are going to sever our friendship here—just like this?"_

Silence.

_"Forget me...__like I never did anything for you, Arthur?"_

_"All right. If that's what you want...I understand perfectly."_

_"If it's really like that, then...I hope I forget you, too._

_"Maybe it's better this way...so that it won't hurt anymore when I stop thinking about you...the way I've always done up to now."_

_"Goodbye, Arthur..."_

~x~

"_Merlin!"_

_Beep!_

_Crash._

"_It hurts..."_

~xXx~

By that time, the prince was trembling, his hands curling up into fists. He sucked in a gulp of air, then let out a sharp exhale as he gazed painfully at the comatose raven.

His voice still rang faintly in his ears. _"Arthur..."_

The blonde winced. _I'm so sorry, Merlin..._

At that moment, he stepped aside, punching the wall near him in frustration, and sank to the floor. He turned to leave the window with his head hung low and eyes closed, hands shoved deep into his pockets as he slumped away from the room.

Though, it hadn't been until he'd reached more than halfway did a sharp beeping sound suddenly fill the atmosphere, and nurses began to rush in from the other end of the corridor.

"_Code Blue! Code Blue!__"_ one had screamed, running into the raven's room.

"_The patient has gone into cardiac arrest!"_

"_Get me a doctor down here! Quick!__"_

In that instant, Arthur held his breath, slowly turning back to see a glimpse of Dr. Gaius with various others hastily performing CPR on his best friend, the nurses steadfastly keeping Merlin's siblings away as the doctor charged the defibrillator in his hands.

Immediately, the prince stiffened where he was, his eyes wide as he quickly began to run back towards the raven's room.

"Merlin—"

But that was when he felt a firm hand on his shoulder and stopped abruptly in his tracks.

"Arthur."

At that moment, the blonde sucked in a gulp of air, whirling around to meet his father's stern, unyielding gaze.

~o~

"It's time to leave. Take Morgana and meet me outside the front door," the King commanded impassively, briefly glancing over at the young brunette. "Our plane departs in exactly ten minutes."

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Arthur replied sullenly, looking away from him.

Uther exhaled sharply, then crossed his arms across his chest. "Don't you turn your back on me, boy. I am your father, and if you still have the slightest bit of respect for me, you will do as I say this instant."

The blonde closed his eyes, his expression solemn and grim. "I refuse," he answered in a persistent, even tone. "I will not abandon my friend."

At that, the King raised his head more, narrowing his eyes on his only son. "You dare defy me for that vile sorcerer? Then consider yourself shameful to the throne itself!"

"Merlin is _not_ vile," Arthur spoke coldly. "Stop forcing so much blame on him, when you are the one who is at fault here, Father. You lied to Mother."

"Another word from you, and I shall disown you!" Uther roared, glaring at the prince. "If your mother were here—"

"Then so be it," the blonde spat out acidly. "I don't care. I still haven't forgiven you for what you've done, even if Mother already did so. You don't deserve it."

In that instant, His Majesty froze, his countenance rigid and eyes bulging.

"Besides, you've always thought of me as a failure, right? A disgrace to the royal family? You never loved me in the first place!" Arthur cried, gazing intently into his father's eyes. "It's _your_ fault Mum's dead..."

Uther held his breath, looking as if he'd just been struck by a jolt of lightning, and put his hand on the wall for support.

The prince let out a sharp exhale, looking away from the King of Wales. "...I don't even see why I can't disown you as my father, anyway." He swallowed deep, glaring down at the floor. "So don't make any mistake in having me choose between you and him." He clenched his hands into fists, gazing up at his father again. "Because unlike you, Merlin...was _always _there for me from the very beginning," he spoke through gritted teeth. "And he saved my life, even if I did hurt him for the countless times I've had to cover for you."

With that, Arthur took the first step back towards where his best friend resided, wincing at his father as he turned to leave him.

"He's my best friend," he spoke firmly, taking one last look at Uther that instant with nothing but pain and regret in his expression. "I can't let him die," he finished hoarsely, slowly shaking his head.

At this, the prince took a deep breath and quickly ran back to Merlin's room without another moment's hesitation.

The King did nothing but watch as his son, at that very minute itself...began to mature into a young man through his own eyes.

~o~

"Merlin!" Arthur shouted, barging into the young warlock's room.

By that time, one of the doctors was artificially pumping air into the raven's throat, in sync as Dr. Gaius pressed the defibrillator's pads onto the latter's bare chest.

And soon after that, the nurses, as well as a few of the King's personal guards, stepped in to pull the young prince out of the room, taking him by the shoulders and dragging him away. But Arthur was persistent and vigorously thrashed under their clutches, eventually breaking from their grasp and rushing over to his best friend's side.

"_One one-thousand...two one-thousand...three one-thousand..."_

"_BREATHE!"_

"Merlin..." he murmured, watching anxiously as the doctor pumped another blow of air, the machines still blaring loudly.

"Clear!"

At that moment, Gaius pressed the charged pads against the raven once more, filling his body with another jolt of electricity.

But nothing.

The other doctor let out a sharp exhale, then swiftly glanced up at the machine before looking back down at Merlin's face.

"Once more!" he cried. "One one-thousand...two one-thousand...three one-thousand..."

"Breathe!" Gaius ordered firmly that instant.

Immediately without another thought, Arthur shoved the closest doctor out of the way and took hold of his best friend's head, blowing into his open mouth with all of his might.

For a minute, it had grown deathly quiet in the room.

"_Is Big Brother going to be alright—"_

"_Shh..."_

Then the blonde's breath had stilled as he listened to the gradual, faint beating of the other's heart, growing louder and louder as the seconds passed.

_Ba-boom._

_Ba-boom._

In that instant, all had let out sighs of relief and turned to leave the room, forming a crowd in front of the threshold.

Arthur exhaled sharply, lowering his gaze on Merlin to put his hand on the latter's head.

"Don't even _think_ about dying yet," he breathed, stroking his dark hair back.

~o~

"Is he okay?" Morgana asked concernedly, approaching her cousin from behind.

The prince closed his eyes and took a deep breath before turning away from the window. "He is now," he replied in a nonchalant tone.

The duchess sighed in relief, putting a hand to her chest. "Thank heavens."

Arthur stood silent for a moment, glancing up at the brunette. "Why didn't you go with Father? Uncle's probably worried about you."

At this, Morgana paused, staring uneasily at the floor. "I couldn't think of leaving either of you behind," she replied in a solemn voice. Then she pursed her lips briefly before staring up at her cousin with soft eyes. "Besides, Uncle Uther had already cancelled our flight...after you'd told him that you'd be staying."

In that instant, the blonde held his breath and turned to face the glass again with a slight expression of disbelief. "He...did that?"

The brunette looked at him for a minute, then nodded quietly behind his back.

Arthur glanced back at the latter before slowly shaking his head and letting out a sharp exhale.

"I'll go see if I can stall them for a bit longer," she spoke softly, turning to leave him alone.

"Wait—Morgana."

There was a long pause.

The prince raised his head, then turned to nod once to his younger cousin in genuine gratitude.

"...thanks."

In response, the duchess quickly smiled at him and left to make her way down the other end of the hallway.

Afterwards, Arthur sighed and lowered his eyes, gazing over at his best friend, reposed peacefully just a few feet across from him.

By that time, the rest of the Emrys children had no longer been present in their brother's room, as their mother had insisted them to return home in concern of their health, circumspect to the possible diseases they could catch from patients in the other rooms.

But what the blonde hadn't known at that point...was how the second eldest had earnestly requested to stay with the raven a while more.

"It's not the driver's fault," Molly murmured quietly, standing near Arthur from the opposite end of the corridor. "He was actually no one in particular, but there was an apology."

At that moment, the prince stiffened, glancing next to him to see the brunette approach the window, peering in to watch her older brother asleep. She winced, then continued in a soft-spoken tone. "On the other hand, he always did care for you...like he's done for pretty much everyone in our family. Always putting the people he's close to first before ever thinking of himself..."

Molly paused, biting her lip before turning to stare into the blonde's sapphire blue eyes. "But nothing compares to everything he gave for you," she spoke, reaching over to take the latter's hand. Hers was soft and supple in his, almost as how Merlin's had been. She cleared her throat, then looked away from him. "And he's carried this burden for so long now..." she whispered hoarsely to the young prince, her eyes filled with tears. "But he needs someone to help him relinquish it for good."

The brunette gave his hand a gentle squeeze before holding back a small sob. "Please—Arthur...don't leave yet. You're the only one who can save him." With that, she let go of the other's palm, looking into his eyes one last time.

"I found that...not far where the accident occurred. Use it wisely, or so help me..." she wept, then shifted past Arthur to disappear into the other end of the hall.

In that instant, the Pendragon's face became rigid as he watched after her as she left.

But then his eyes softened when he'd carefully opened his hand...and glanced down at none other than the green rose his best friend had given him...to his surprise, still intact and unharmed despite all the trauma it could have, no—_should have _gone through from the accident.

At this, he let out a sharp exhale, peering at _him_ through the vast window with pained eyes. Then he swallowed once and absent-mindedly reached for the doorknob nearby.

~o~

_It was silent inside his room...all except for the soft sound of his breathing, that is.__ He was almost like an angel at that point, his complexion fair under the dim light above us._

Arthur had bit his lip for a moment, before finally approaching the young raven on the other side of the room, his expression remorseful.

As he softly gazed upon the latter's face, he gradually took a deep breath, then solemnly placed the rose in the vase that sat next to them on the bedside table. After that, he sighed and knelt down beside him, lowering his eyes as he gently reached over to take his hand into his.

"I know I've already lost track...of how many times I turned my back and hurt you." He paused, wincing at him. "But don't get me wrong—I _am_ sorry for taking you for granted, if that's what you'd always wanted in the end."

No response.

The blonde sucked in a gulp of air, then exhaled into the other's hand. "Huh...you really are taking advantage of me here now, aren't you?"

He stopped for a minute, as if to wait for an answer from him that instant. But Merlin's lips were still immobile and unresponsive.

Arthur chuckled weakly, holding the raven's fingers gingerly in his palm. "So it's like that, then...I see how it is."

Another long moment of deafening silence.

By that time, the prince was slowly shaking his head, looking at the young warlock's face.

"Merlin..." he murmured with soft eyes, placing his other palm on the raven's hair. "Please tell me you'll wake up soon?"

No response.

The blonde took a deep breath, giving Merlin's hand a gentle squeeze. "Look. They still need you—your brothers and sisters. Your Mum. You can't leave yet..." At this, he glanced left to find the green rose untouched, and his voice began to falter. "Especially not now when I haven't even gotten the chance to make everything up to you for all that you've done for me this whole time..."

He sucked in a gulp of air, holding the other's palm firmly in his as he struggled to hold back tears that were welling up under his eyes. "I mean...believe it or not as you want...I need you," he spoke through clenched teeth, trembling slightly as he gazed upon the other's innocent face. "More than anything else in the world. From the very beginning, I just..."

He sighed, closing his eyes for an instant. "I never wanted to forget you," he breathed. "And even if I did try, I swear I wouldn't be able to..." The Pendragon swallowed. "I didn't mean a single word I said to you back there, not now or ever, and I dare say that I'd take it all back if I could...Merlin, if time would only permit me to do so, I'd do whatever it takes to bring your life back to the way it was, before you decided to go and shoulder all this trouble that shouldn't even be yours to bear alone by yourself." He winced. "I know how it feels...to have so much pressure behind your back. But I never thought that you...only had it worse than me, despite our differences even. I'm sorry that I wasn't always there for you when you needed me..."

His mother's words echoed once more through the corners of his mind.

_"You can even see it in his eyes...that same look of burden I always tend to__ see in yours…that desperate urge to be accepted by the world revolving around you..."_

At that point, the tears slowly began to roll down his cheeks. It was the only other time Arthur had cried for another besides his mother on her deathbed...

The prince sniffled, resting his head beside the raven. "Please, Merlin—don't go away...I love you, alright? You're not just my best friend anymore—you're _all_ I have now. I don't want to lose you, too..." He held back a sob, bringing the other's hand close to his mouth.

At that moment, the green rose quivered inside the small vase. Then slowly, as the words came out of the blonde's mouth, it became crystalline, illuminating the room with a marvellous, awe-inspiring aura of emerald light.

~o~

Immediately, the flower had disappeared into nothing more but petals, the radiance soon fading as quickly as it had come about. But not much later after that, along with this miracle, Merlin's left hand...had begun to twitch its fingers.

Arthur sniffled once, shifting over to pull the raven's right even closer. "I..."

In that instant, the young warlock's hand slightly squeezed his before he could do any further. At that, the blonde held his breath and quickly raised his head to look at him with wide eyes.

"...Merlin?"

In response, the latter had carefully taken the Pendragon's index finger gingerly into his palm and stirred, letting out a faint moan.

"Don't...leave..." Merlin spoke, just above a hushed murmur.

At this, Arthur stiffened, then smiled with soft eyes, wiping a tear from his cheek.

"Never," he affectionately whispered back, placing his hand over his as the raven continued to hold his finger.

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **First Love by Utada Hikaru (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Review? ^^";_

Next chapter's the last! Hope you'll enjoy this to the very end! :D

Till then~ ;D

.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.


	9. Chapter 9: Ever After

**Evermore**

_**Chapter 9: Ever After**_

**Characters~ **Arthur & Merlin

**Disclaimer~ **Yeah—don't own Merlin in any way, shape, or form. (Arthur does XD)

**Warnings~ **young prince!Arthur and young poor!Merlin, some OOC because they're kids, and fluffy slash/boys' love ~wO

**Music on My Mind~ **Kunin Mo Na Ang Lahat Sa Akin (Take Everything from Me) by Angeline Quinto (I may be Filipino...AND constantly obsess over Xander & Javier in Minsan Lang Kita Iibigin...but I don't own this song. =w=";)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

LAST CHAPTER, GUYS~! :D

'Nother small disclaimer beforehand: I know I've already said this before, but a third or fourth time won't hurt just to make things as clear as not having to deal with lawyers with sticks up their asses who want to sue me for not putting this disclaimer down. =w="; (And I'm not talking about Phoenix Wright or Miles Edgeworth, though I also ship them as hard as the mighty fist of God. XDDD)

Anyway—I don't own _The Little Prince. _At all. And I never will, even if I did want to for its awesomeness of a book. XD

And also—you'll read about someone named Vortigern and Aurelius. Both are from the original Arthurian legend (which I obviously don't own either. =w=";). Vortigern was some bad King that did evil stuff (to put it simply), and in the end, Uther killed him, thus leading to his coronation. Aurelius, on the other hand, was Uther's beloved brother, but he was murdered.

That's it—you may now read, unless you have the attention span of a fly like me and may as well have already skipped this section for the heck of it. XDDDD

One last thank you to all followers & reviewers. Couldn't have gotten this far without you. ^_^

Enjoy it while it lasts~ :D

.::.*~K. Shadow~*.::.

~o~

"Thank you for letting him stay."

Uther lowered his head from the window to stare down at the floor, his expression bleak but still impassive.

Hunith let out a sigh, not taking her gaze once off the King himself. "I should be entirely grateful to you for it...even if it was only for a little while," she spoke softly, her brown eyes intent on him.

There was a long pause. Then, His Highness exhaled sharply before looking back at the two boys, seated on the bed on the other side of the glass. "...he's the spitting image of Balinor," he murmured in a nonchalant tone.

At that moment, the brunette frowned, walking over to stand beside him in front of the vast window. "Is he?" she replied in a hushed tone. "How did you know?"

Uther swallowed and pursed his lips. "You can see him in his eyes," he spoke quietly to her. "I knew...from the very beginning—in our first encounter. That look of fortitude and chivalry that I've always known all too well embedded deep from within...I could not miss it."

Hunith looked at the King, then lowered her eyes and took a deep breath, her eyes softening on the two of them before her. "They remind you of yourself and Balinor when you were still young...don't they? Arthur is a reflection of you as well."

"Everything except for his mother's eyes," he replied in a solemn voice.

Mrs. Emrys put a hand on the other's shoulder. "Ygraine has already forgiven you, Uther. That I know of myself."

In that instant, His Majesty sucked in a brief intake of air and leaned his forehead against the glass. "But my son has not. When I see him constantly look at me with that stricken expression on his face...it is as if I am still harming his mother to a much greater extent. I never meant to hurt either of them in any way..."

At this, the brunette frowned and gazed reassuringly at the Pendragon. "He will learn to forgive you in time. For his heart is nothing but pure, and you know yourself that Arthur has certainly not been known to hold long-lasting grudges," she murmured softly. "Although...what can be said about you? Have you prepared to let go of that blinding hatred of yours as well?"

Uther was silent for a minute. He turned away from the window, then placed a hand over his face.

"I meant absolutely no harm. Aurelius—my brother—was killed that day. When he disappeared from Camelot," he spoke in a hoarse, choked whisper. "All these years I'd thought Balinor had done nothing more than abandon his fate when he left me alone to fend for myself against Uncle Vortigern...even if he did save my life at the last minute."

He let out a sharp exhale, glancing over at Hunith. "After I became king all by myself, I'd only ended up assuming...that he'd merely thrown our friendship aside as if everything we'd been through together had been absolutely nothing to him. I'd been too furious the minute I'd found out...that he'd departed from Camelot without saying goodbye. He never did come back after the green roses vanished from town." He paused. "And upon returning here to see his children—more so, his eldest son, all that I had thought of was none more than those festering wounds opened up to torment me once again. I apologise sincerely for any charges I have brought upon your boy, Hunith. It was wrong of me to involve him in a situation that he definitely did not have any responsibility in. I solemnly recede my resentment towards you and your family."

Mrs. Emrys nodded quietly, looking away from the King. "I'm glad."

"But all that I have yet to know at this point...is _where _and _why _he left Camelot so soon. Is there a specific reason why he is not present here with you, Hunith?"

At that moment, the brunette closed her eyes and sighed.

The hall was suddenly silent.

"...he had no intentions of abandoning you, Uther," she began in a sombre, soft-spoken tone. "Balinor had only entrusted Camelot for you to take care of yourself. He believed that you would be able to dethrone Vortigern alone and in the end claim your true place as King of England. He _knew _you could do it."

Hunith paused, biting her lip. "Aurelius's death was not expected in those circumstances," she continued. "But Balinor _had_ no choice but to return home immediately. I was about to bear our first child around that time..."

In that instant, the King's breath had stilled as he glanced back towards the young raven sitting on the bed beside his son.

"And he could not return to your aid, for he'd had a family to protect later on in a village he himself took leadership over until the end..."

"Ealdor," Uther breathed, his eyes wide at that point.

Mrs. Emrys nodded in agreement, tears rolling down her cheeks. "But just before you had come to slay your evil uncle himself...Vortigern had already attacked our homes and set fire."

The King stiffened.

"Balinor helped me and the children escape through a hidden path that I'm sure your son would have learned from Merlin by this time...but he had stayed behind to deal with that loathsome tyrant." There was another long moment of silence. "As soon as we had reached the sanctuary he had called Camelot...I had only found out that he would no longer joining us."

Uther's face became rigid. "So he is..."

Hunith sniffled, wiping a tear from her eye in response. "All I had done was simply hide everything from the children so that they would not be burdened with the pain of losing their only father...but soon enough, the truth unfolded when life turned to destiny itself."

At that moment, the brunette was sobbing, and His Majesty had shifted over to comfort her with sad eyes. "I had no idea..."

~o~

Meanwhile inside the adjacent room, Arthur had been feeding his best friend soup the nurse had brought up for him to help him feel better.

But it was still quiet because Merlin had been busy listening to the conversation his mother was having with Uther outside in the hall. His expression had been bleak, his eyes filled with sadness.

Soon, the blonde had softened his gaze on the latter, placing the soup on the bedside table and comfortingly putting his hand on the raven's wrist.

"Can you hear them?" he asked in a hushed, curious tone.

The young warlock only nodded once, then glanced back at the prince with a solemn countenance.

"...if you shift a bit closer to me and concentrate enough, you might be able to listen in on what they're saying as well."

At that moment, Arthur shrugged and moved over next to him, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath before all became silent again.

"Your father was the prince my dad met all along," Merlin murmured after a while. "He was only sad that Dad left him by himself to kill that evil king." He looked up to meet the other's intent gaze. "That's why he's been so bitter to everyone all this time, not because he always thinks you're a failure and whatnot. He loves you, Arthur."

The blonde sighed, looking away from him.

"He didn't know it was because my mum was going to have me then. No one can blame your father for what he did."

Silence.

"Arthur...can't you forgive him? Please? He never wanted to hurt you and your mother in the very beginning..."

The prince took a deep breath, turning back to gaze softly at him and held his index finger delicately in the middle of his palm.

"Of course I can. I've always wanted to, anyway. Especially now that I've heard everything there is to hear from him...thanks to you."

The young warlock chuckled, grinning at his best friend that instant.

But then Arthur's face became serious again, and the room grew silent once more.

"What about you, though?"

Merlin held his breath, staring at him with an apprehensive look on his face. "...what do you mean?"

At this, he gave the raven's hand a gentle squeeze and winced. "Can you forgive me for hurting you before?" he asked, briefly glancing down at the once fatal but now healed injuries on his best friend's body.

In response, Merlin sighed, gazing into the other's eyes. "Of course," he replied, placing his hand over Arthur's that instant. "Besides...no matter how many times you try to push me away...even if it kills me, I'll always come back to be there at your side to shoulder all of your pain—because you're my best friend. I love you so much..."

At that moment, Arthur's eyes softened on him, and he wrapped his arms around him, catching him in a warm embrace.

By that time, a tear had rolled down one of the young warlock's cheeks, and he closed his eyes.

"It's just sad...that you have to go now."

The prince exhaled sharply, pulling the raven closer to him. "I love you, Merlin. I'll never forget you—ever."

Merlin sniffled, resting his head on Arthur's shoulder. "I won't forget you, either. No matter what."

The blonde sucked in a gulp of air, closing his eyes as a tear likewise fell from his cheek as well.

~o~

As soon as we had finally returned home, I'd opened the door only to have my brothers and sisters almost knock me over with excitement, all of them hugging me tightly and smiling widely to see that their big brother was all right.

Even Molly had come over as well, a timid expression on her face. She'd helped me up later on after that and looked at me with hesitant eyes.

"Merlin, I..."

But before she could say anything more, I'd already caught her in an embrace, chuckling softly in her ear. "It's okay...I forgive you."

In that instant, Molly had smiled, putting her arms around me as well.

I let out a small sigh, then slowly pulled away from her to look back at Arthur, standing behind me with a sad countenance. He'd been glancing over at the moving trucks near us before turning his head to look at me.

We stared at each other for a while, then hugged like there was no tomorrow—for the last time that we knew that we would be able to see or hear one another in what almost seemed like eons.

Soon, my best friend exhaled sharply, moving back to gaze softly into my eyes before they'd called him over to get inside the car they would be riding in to the airport.

"Come on, Arthur!" Morgana had cried, waving to us from one of the back seats. "We're going to get left behind again if you don't get a move on!"

At this, he'd grumbled under his breath, rolling his eyes at the brunette.

I laughed, waving back to her that instant, then shifted my eyes over to Arthur as he turned to leave for the car, waiting for me to say farewell.

"Goodbye," I spoke in an even tone, grinning sadly at the blonde.

But all he did was nod once at me with a solemn face, reluctantly turning his head as he climbed inside the royal vehicle.

Then, the driver had started the engine, and they'd all left waving to me, Arthur sitting in the back seat next to Morgana.

~o~

"Bye!" Morgana called out once more, beaming at the raven as he became farther and farther from sight. She giggled, then turned around to look at her cousin, only to see his expression glum.

That moment, her face had become serious. "Arthur..." she murmured, comfortingly putting a hand on his shoulder. "We'll still see him again someday—you know that."

But the prince only shook his head, letting out a small sigh. "I know. It's just..."

"...you forgot something, didn't you?"

In that instant, the latter raised his head with wide eyes, only to see the brunette smiling at him as she held a flat, rectangular parcel on her lap.

Arthur exhaled sharply, slowly shaking his head at her with a slight grin. "You know...you _really_ are something, aren't you, Morgana?"

At this, the duchess cunningly raised an eyebrow at him, smirking as she tapped the driver's shoulder that moment.

"Pull over for just a second?" she pleaded with innocent eyes.

In response, the man nodded without question, parking the car to a stop beside the sidewalk.

With that, Morgana grabbed the handle and shoved her door open, quickly stepping outside and rushing back to where Merlin was still standing, his gift in her hand.

~o~

"Arthur and I want you to have this," the Duchess of Edinburgh spoke exhaustedly, as she handed the parcel to him. Then she took a deep breath and composed herself, beaming at him that instant. "Use it as you can to remember us by, though we already finished it without you. But that's why we're letting you keep it anyway—so you can finish it yourself."

At this, the brunette nodded farewell to him, running back to get in the car.

"Goodbye, Merlin! We'll miss you!"

With that, the young warlock watched after her with confused eyes, then lowered his gaze to unwrap the present his best friends had given him.

_The Little Prince, _it read on the very front on the cover, _by Antoine de Saint-Exupery._

In that instant, his eyes softened upon recognising the pop-up book they'd started together not long ago...the first time the three of them had ever come together as friends.

"I'll miss you, too," Merlin murmured warmly to himself with a smile, glancing to watch as the car faded into the long and winding road and vigorously waving goodbye in the last few moments he'd had before they'd finally disappeared from view.

~o~

_(A few day__s later)_

"_A__nd now six years have already gone by...I have never yet told this story. The companions who met me on my return were well content to see me alive. I was sad, but I told them: 'I am tired.'_

_Now my sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say—not entirely. But I know that he did go back to his planet, because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body...and at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells..._

_But there is one extraordinary thing...when I drew the muzzle for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet? Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower..._

_At one time I say to myself: 'Surely not! The little prince shuts his flower under her glass globe every night, and he watches over his sheep very carefully...' Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars. _

_But at another time I say to myself: 'At some moment or other one is absent-minded, and that is enough! On some one evening he forgot the glass globe, or the sheep got out, without making any noise, in the night...' And then the little bells are changed to tears...  
><em>

_Here, then, is a great mystery. For you who also love the little prince, and for me, nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere, we do not know where, a sheep that we never saw has—yes or no?—eaten a rose..._

_Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves: is it yes or no? Has the sheep eaten the flower? And you will see how everything changes..._

_And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of so much importance!  
><em>

_This is, to me, the loveliest and saddest landscape in the world. It is the same as that on the preceding page, but I have drawn it again to impress it on your memory. It is here that the little prince appeared on Earth, and disappeared. _

_Look at it carefully so that you will be sure to recognize it in case you travel some day in the African desert. And, if you should come upon this spot, please do not hurry on. Wait for a time, exactly under the star. Then, if a little man appears who laughs, who has golden hair and who refuses to answer question, you will know who he is. If this should happen, please comfort me. Send me word that he has come back."_

At that moment, I let out a small sigh, shifting the book closer to my younger siblings to let them see the very last pop-up of _The Little Prince _itself.

"That was a great story, Brother!" Helen giggled with delight.

"Will he see the little prince again?" Caleb asked curiously.

"Read it to us once more!" Maddie beamed. "It's such a good story!"

In that instant, I exhaled sharply, looking back at them with tired eyes. "All right, all right. But this one's the last," I replied, grinning as I took the book back into my lap and saw the eager expressions on each of their little faces.

Although...that wasn't until Mother had come into the room and announced their bedtime.

"Come on, children," she'd yawned, more exhausted as I was at that point from running the fruit stand all day. "It's getting late. Time for bed."

"Aww..." I'd heard them whine, resignedly getting up from the floor to follow her out into the small hallway.

At that, Mum had chuckled softly, glancing up at me before she'd closed the door. "You too, Merlin," she added, smiling at me with warm eyes.

In response, I let out a yawn of my own and rubbed my eyes as I put the book down on my bed. "I know," I replied, beaming slightly at her.

Soon after that, it was silent in my room again.

Only then did I look back down at the last page of the story—to see the empty land shown in the image, a lone star hovering just over it...

"Thinking of him already, young warlock?"

At that moment, I gazed up from my book to see Kilgarrah perched on the windowsill nearby, staring at me with an amused countenance.

Then I frowned and lowered my eyes, letting out a small sigh as I glanced over to look through the window towards the manor on the other side of the street, its insides vacant and lights turned off.

"He'll come back," the lizard breathed, shifting his gaze towards me for a brief minute, "for it is destiny that you two should be together when you reunite this land into one."

With this, I gave a slight grin and turned to meet his gaze. "Yeah..."

Kilgarrah nodded once, then shifted closer to the window's glass and became quiet.

"...where will you go?" I asked, just above a hushed whisper. "Now that..."

There was a long pause. "Into withdrawal where I can wait in peace," he'd answered in a nonchalant tone without looking back at me, "Until I am needed once again."

In that instant, I smiled at him, nodding in response. "I see...take care of yourself then," I replied.

At that, the latter closed his eyes and grinned, lowering his head as he vanished, for the last time, into the shadows of the night.

"And you as well, Merlin..."

After he had faded from sight, I climbed back into bed again, placing the book on the bedside table where I'd always kept it since then.

But that wasn't until a tiny red envelope had fallen from the back page and landed on the floor in front of me.

With this, I raised an eyebrow at the sight, shifting over to pick up the strange latter in my hands, only to find a note inside as I'd flipped it open.

_Evermore, _the small piece of paper read, neatly inscribed in _his _handwriting that only I could have ever been so familiar with.

I chuckled softly, looking back into the envelope to pull out what seemed to be an ordinary rose seed from the very bottom of it. But the thing that surprised me was...how it looked _just _like the same one my father had given me that last time I'd seen him—the one I'd planted by the river when I was little, and left for a certain prince to pick in his time of need.

At that moment, my eyes softened on the tiny speckle in the middle of my palm. Then I took a deep breath and slowly clenched my hand shut, holding it gingerly.

~o~

Arthur Pendragon was, without a doubt, the truest friend I'd ever had.

It hadn't been until a few more months when I'd received my first letter from him. After all, like how the two of us had promised to each other, we'd never forgotten one another ever since.

In the time that passed, he had eventually gotten along with his father and soon with his half-brother when they'd ultimately gone to see him. Later on, he went on to boarding school with him and Morgana to study abroad and see all sorts of places the way he'd always said he'd wanted to if ever he became the professional pilot he dreamed of being for so long.

At the same time, my siblings and I had been able to go to school as well, once Mother finally raised enough money from selling fruit at the stand King Uther himself had helped her open before his departure that day.

Since then, I'd promised to myself that I'd study as hard as I could—just so that one day, I could finally catch up to Arthur and maybe even visit him, too.

However... (insert sigh here)

Well, really it's been seventeen years now, and...let's just say that we've both been busy with our own personal matters keeping our hands full, so neither of us have heard a word from one another since. But even though the letters stopped coming at some point in time, I still kept my best friend in my mind and sometimes visited the river every now and then to check on _that_ seed I'd planted in the tall grass by the tree.

You know...now that I do think of it, I kind of miss hearing Arthur's voice...not to mention his finger hugs as well.

...whatever—I'm going outside for a bit. (insert sharp exhale here) Hope to see you then.

~o~

_(Meanwhile just on a usually empty street—past a familiarly small house...)_

"Is this it?" Kay asked, glancing over at the tall blonde sitting next to him that instant in the passenger seat.

At that moment, the latter nodded once to his half-brother. "Yeah. You can stop over there if you want."

In response, the platinum blonde pulled over towards the side of the road beside the dilapidated house and killed the engine, sighing.

"All right. This is it," he breathed, looking at the prince himself. Then he smirked slightly, his eyes full of mischief. "It's your funeral, you know. Once Dad finds out you didn't show up to the main event."

Arthur rolled his eyes, staring back at Kay. "It's not like he's not going to murder you, too, by any chance, you idiot. You're as much in this as I am," he drawled before pausing for a bit. Only then did he shift his gaze towards the familiar home next to them.

"Besides..." the blonde exhaled, his eyes softening on the recognisable house. "Morgana wouldn't stall Father at her own wedding if she didn't have a clue where I was going."

At this, Kay shrugged, glancing oppositely towards the magnificent manor that stood on the other side of the street.

Silence.

"Hey, Arthur...isn't this that place you and cousin stayed at that summer before you came to see..."

There was another long pause.

"Yes," the prince replied in a hushed tone, not taking his eyes away from the open car window before him. He winced. "It is."

In that instant, the platinum blonde's face had grown solemn. "Oh." He pursed his lips, shifting his gaze over to where his half-brother was staring in. "...do you think he's still there?"

Arthur slowly shook his head, his countenance bleak. "I don't know. But hopefully...he's somewhere _near_ here, at least."

"Aww..."

With this, Kay chuckled heartily, lightly prodding the other on the shoulder. "Well, what are you waiting for? It won't hurt to search for him now—that's what we came here for. right?"

The blonde let out a sigh. "Yeah...I guess you're right," he responded dismally, opening the door.

As he stepped out, the latter beamed at him from the open window. "I'll wait for as long as you need me to. Say hi to the little tyke for me, will you?"

The prince laughed at him in response. "Oh, I don't think he's so _little _anymore, Kay."

At that, Arthur smirked, turning to make his way up to the front door of his best friend's house.

Little did he know, though, that the young warlock himself...had gone for a walk on the usual path they had both gotten to know very much back in their childhood.

~o~

The Pendragon exhaled sharply when no one had answered the door and after he had looked through both windows of the Emrys home. With that, he resignedly stepped away from the porch, thinking of all the possible places the raven could have gone in such a long time.

But that was when he remembered the river, and immediately rushed down the steps towards the usual spot...

~o~

Unfortunately, the person he was looking for was still nowhere to be found. So he went back to the place he'd started with—the patch where he'd been allowed to pick the flower that had saved the one he loved most.

A green rose was intact among the tall grass that grew around it, glimmering underneath the evening sky.

At this, the prince's eyes had softened, and he smiled as he remembered the seed he'd found at the bottom of the vase in Merlin's room that day—the one Morgana had caught him sealing inside a red envelope before hiding it in the very back of his favourite book of all time.

Oh, how he'd wondered if this flower had been what he'd hoped the raven would find later on since then...

But Arthur was exhausted, and he'd shut his eyes for a while after to take a short nap underneath the shade of the tree.

It hadn't been until much later, though...until he'd heard a rustle nearby and quickly stood up where he was to hide behind the bushes beside him.

~o~

In the meantime, Merlin sat by the riverbank, tossing small pebbles across the water's surface as he absent-mindedly stared into the distant horizon.

Then he stared down to glance at the red envelope he held in his hand that instant...along with the small note he'd received exactly seventeen years ago.

_Evermore._

At that moment, the raven sighed, closing his eyes as he began to think of the prince, reminiscent of all the memories he'd cherished for so long since he was a child. Then he remembered the picture shown on the page where the tiny parcel had been hidden.

That empty land where that lone star, which he'd later figured to be the sun afterwards, shone so brightly over during the day...the very spot where the pilot claimed the little prince would return.

In that instant, a light breeze blew past Merlin's face, and soon the simple rose seed that he'd planted came into mind as well.

With this, he opened his eyes and gazed back into the distance, wondering how long the pilot waited for his friend to come back. After all, he'd already waited around seventeen years...

The raven let out a sharp exhale, standing up on his feet to walk over to the place where he knew he'd last buried the seed.

_Maybe if I went back there again... _he'd thought longingly to himself.

~o~

By the time he'd reached the tree, the green rose was present among the tall grass, ever so graceful as it was like the one before it.

At that moment, Merlin's eyes softened, and he knelt down beside it to watch as it glimmered dimly before him. The only thing that he'd been missing was the one person he'd held the closest in his heart.

But that wasn't until...

"Looking for someone?" a familiar voice had asked, all of a sudden.

Immediately, the raven had stiffened, slowly raising his head from the flower to turn around and see none other than the prince himself standing behind him, still dressed in his royal, military-like uniform from head to toe.

"Arthur..." Merlin murmured, his eyes wide and mouth gaping as the blonde smiled warmly at him.

In an instant, he'd tackled Arthur in an embrace, sending the two of them falling to the ground and laughing. After that, the Pendragon shifted over until he was on top of his soul mate, their faces just inches apart from each other.

"You came back," the raven sighed, beaming up at him.

The blonde chuckled softly. "Of course I did," he replied, his mouth hovering over the other's ear. "Although I am sorry it took so long, but...I missed you, didn't I? There was a promise I had to keep..."

Merlin grinned, then found his lips softly pressed against Arthur's. "Is that so? Well, I doubt _you_ have any idea how much I missed you..." he'd whispered in response.

The prince exhaled into the warlock's mouth, then pulled back slightly to murmur something both knew they'd remember for the rest of their lives...

"Look—if you never leave me, I will never leave you. You know I love you too much."

The raven laughed, his sapphire blue irises shimmering under the evening light. "I love you, too..."

With that, he pressed his lips back against the blonde's, and both had closed their eyes, the sun setting in the distant horizon.

~o~

_They say that the green rose can only be found up near the gates of heaven, blooming exclusively in the one place where life is always considered eternal. It has also been believed to be the greatest remedy of all...since it signifies the constant rejuvenation of spirit, making it a messenger of cheerfulness. _

_But most of all...it is the best thing you could ever give for the one you hold in your heart the most. For like a green rose, love is something that is made in heaven: a spouse of hope and a twin of eternity..._

_And so the green rose is the symbol that love has no boundaries whatsoever...just as Arthur and I knew ourselves at that point—now and evermore._

_~FIN~_

~o~

**Music on My Mind~ **Secrets by One Republic (don't own)

**Notes from the KIT-chan~**

_Review? ^^";_

The end. ^w^ Hope you all enjoyed, and that other stories won't disappoint if any of you decide to consider them in the future or something.

Part of those last quotes that Merlin said (in first person) came from a few posts I found on Tumblr, if any of you gave a damn, by the way. XD

*sighs* Well, that's it. All's left for me now is to wait until Season 4 finally airs in October. So close yet so far... =w="; But no worries. My birthday is in five days, and I'll be in the Wizarding World of Drarry_—_ahem—_Harry Potter _by then. XDDDD

Best wishes, everyone! Thanks for following/reviewing~! :D

.::.*~Kit Shadow~*.::.


End file.
